Practical Magic 2 arrives in cinemas on September 10, bringing Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman back as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens. The sequel also introduces Sally’s daughters, Kylie and Antonia, to a family curse that has shaped the Owens women for generations.
A new chapter for the Owens witches
Directed by Susanne Bier, Practical Magic 2 follows Kylie, played by Joey King, as she discovers that she may have dangerous abilities of her own. Her sister Antonia, played by Maisie Williams, is part of a new generation confronting the consequences of the Owens family legacy.
The curse remains central: any man who falls in love with an Owens woman is destined to die young. Kylie begins searching for answers in the family’s history, while the sisters and their relatives seek help from unexpected allies in the hope of breaking the curse permanently.
A newly released image shows Kylie studying old texts given to her by the warlock Thomas Lockland, played by Solly McLeod.
Why the original became a cult favourite
The 1998 film was directed by Griffin Dunne and adapted from Alice Hoffman’s novel. It introduced Sally and Gillian as very different sisters living with their aunts, played by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, in a small Massachusetts town.
The Owens women descend from witches connected to Salem, and the story moves between that history and the sisters’ complicated present. Sally is cautious and uncomfortable with her abilities, while Gillian embraces the freedom and danger that come with being different.
Released during a period when witchcraft stories were already prominent in mainstream entertainment, the film had two major stars at its centre. Bullock had already led hits including The Net and Speed, while Kidman was becoming one of the most prominent international actors of her generation.
That combination did not translate into an immediate box-office success. Reviews were mixed, but the film found a more receptive audience through home video. Viewers responded to its unusual blend of romance, family drama, humour, supernatural fantasy and genuine darkness.
Bullock later recalled that the production team expected the film to connect strongly with audiences, only to encounter uncertainty about its shifting tones and women-focused story. Her reflections are discussed in this interview with Variety.
A film that refused to fit one genre
Calling Practical Magic simply a romantic comedy misses much of what makes it distinctive. The relationship between Sally and Gillian is the emotional foundation, while romance sits alongside family loyalty, grief and the consequences of inherited magic.
The film can move from the aftermath of Sally’s husband’s death to the frightening abuse inflicted by Gillian’s boyfriend Jimmy, then pivot into lighter material such as the famous Midnight Margaritas gathering. Its tonal changes are abrupt, but they are also part of its identity.
One particularly memorable sequence has the sisters attempting to resurrect Jimmy. They argue their way through the spell and use whipped cream to draw a pentagram on his chest, turning a grim supernatural crisis into an awkward display of sibling chemistry.
That mixture of menace and silliness gives the film an energy that is difficult to categorise. It can be unsettling, sentimental, funny and theatrical within the same stretch of story.
The house is part of the magic
The Owens home provides much of the film’s visual personality. Set in a striking Victorian-era house beside the sea, the story unfolds among timber rooms, grand staircases, breakfasts, spell-making and domestic arguments.
Its Gothic design, strong colour and textured film grain make the house feel almost like another character. The setting supports the film’s balance of comfort and unease: it is a warm family home, but also a place filled with old secrets and supernatural consequences.
Above all, Bullock and Kidman make the sisters’ bond convincing. Their chemistry gives the original its lasting appeal and helps explain why audiences continued returning to it long after its theatrical run.
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Why the sequel makes sense now
The original film’s long afterlife was not built on critical consensus or opening-weekend success. It grew through repeated home viewing and an audience that valued its eccentric combination of sisterhood, witchcraft, romance, horror and comedy.
That makes a legacy sequel a natural continuation rather than a simple return to the past. Practical Magic 2 can revisit the Owens family while giving its younger characters their own questions, abilities and conflicts.
Whether the new film matches the peculiar charm of its predecessor remains to be seen. The enduring appeal of the first film is clear, however: it never needed to choose between being a family story, a supernatural thriller, a romance or a comedy. Its willingness to be all of those things is precisely why viewers keep coming back.
Practical Magic 2 premieres in Australian cinemas on September 10.
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