“Practical Magic 2,” the sequel to the 1998 cult favorite starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, is projected to dethrone “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” from the top spot at the weekend box office. Boxoffice Pro analyst Daniel Loria anticipates the film will generate $40 million in its opening weekend, potentially marking a significant turnaround for Warner Bros. after a challenging year.
Loria expects the sequel to outperform similar legacy sequels, citing the "Freaky Friday" follow-up, which opened to $28 million in early August last year. This performance would be a welcome development for Warner Bros., which has experienced a notable dip in success in 2026 compared to a strong 2025 slate that included critical and commercial hits like "One Battle After Another," "A Minecraft Movie," and "Sinners."
In contrast to the previous year, Warner Bros. has struggled to achieve significant box office milestones in 2026. While "Wuthering Heights" surpassed $270 million globally, subsequent releases such as the "Mortal Kombat" sequel, "They Will Kill You," "Lee Cronin’s The Mummy," and the poorly received "The Bride!" have failed to meet expectations. As of the final third of the year, Warner Bros. has not had a single film gross $100 million domestically, a situation not seen since 2001.
Warner Bros. film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy have faced scrutiny following a series of costly misses in 2024, including "Furiosa" and "Joker: Folie a Deux," which reportedly led to discussions about their replacements prior to the success of "A Minecraft Movie." However, the studio has a slate of anticipated releases on the horizon, including Tom Cruise's "Digger," "The Cat in the Hat," and Denis Villeneuve's "Dune 3."