Weekend Preview: ‘Practical Magic 2’ Is a Lesson in Legacy Sequels

Legacy sequels are nothing new in Hollywood. Even subgenres within this gimmick follow their own trends. Specifically, female-driven cult classic legacy sequels reveal the varying degrees of success of recent attempts in duplicating or manifesting a hit. Disney+ exclusive Hocus Pocus 2 was the sixth most-watched movie on streaming in the U.S. back in 2022, per Nielsen. Freakier Friday was a moderate box office success with more than $150 million worldwide. The Devil Wears Prada 2 exploded as one of the first box office hits of the summer, opening nearly three times bigger than the initial film ($76.7 million) en route to nearly $700 million worldwide! But Disney isn’t the only studio dabbling in this particular sandbox. Warner Bros. will now try to duplicate the model as it kicks off the fall box office season with Practical Magic 2. Which path will it take? That depends on how in-line the audiences are and where Practical Magic 2 ranks against its fellow legacy sequels.

Outside of an obvious female-skew, the audience makeup for legacy sequel films are not always what one might expect. Freakier Friday enjoyed inflated tracking metrics compared to The Devil Wears Prada 2 yet opened smaller because it more resembled a family or animated film. The Devil Wears Prada 2, even with its enthusiastic female base, still boasted healthy cross-gender appeal that pushed it into solid blockbuster-status. 

Practical Magic 2 is targeting these same audiences and it actually looks less like those two sequels and more like a different, older-skewing comp. With enthusiasm most concentrated among women 35+, Practical Magic 2 has built upon the same dedicated audience base behind Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale ($18 million domestic opening, $103.5 million worldwide total gross). As such, the film looks to have cultivated a more unique audience rather than the expected “legacy sequel female cult classic” audience. Having Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman certainly doesn’t hurt either. 

Among women of all ages, Practical Magic 2 leads Downton Abbey in theatrical intent, yet isn’t quite at the same levels as Freakier Friday and The Devil Wears Prada 2. This clues us in as to where its opening weekend might eventually land. 

Among women 35+ and specifically women 35+ that are aware of each film, Practical Magic 2 sits almost directly in the median of Downton Abbey and The Devil Wears Prada 2 when it comes to overall Theatrical and Opening Weekend Intent. Even narrowing down to the most enthusiastic demographic of these films, women 35-44, Practical Magic 2 and The Devil Wears Prada 2 are essentially tied in Opening Weekend Intent among Aware with over a third of this group ready to make it the first hit of fall.

Bridging the gap between the two titles does not end with a comparison of overall moviegoers either. Among the casual moviegoers in the key women 35+ target, Practical Magic 2 still sits comfortably between the two. It’s below average among all women 35+, but above average in the most important target (women 35-44). As seen with the audience behind Disclosure Day’s solid opening ($44.5 million), a film does not need every demo locked in for a notable opening. For the Steven Spielberg sci-fi thriller, men 45-54 drove enthusiasm and intent, as if it were the legacy sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Here, women 35-44 are set to do the same.

Although Practical Magic 2 has not matched the highest highs of The Devil Wears Prada 2, it still follows important patterns within the specific target audience. These patterns promise its performance will top the foundational Downton Abbey’s sub-$20 million opening, and likely come in above Freakier Friday’s sub-$30 million opening as well. Just as the data shows a solid median in intent rates between the two comparative films, the opening is set to likewise be the median between the moderate and blockbuster performer. With its own Disclosure Day-like targeted turnout, Practical Magic is gearing up for a similar opening to begin the fall box office season with a hit.