Practical Magic 2 breaks Spidey spell over North American box office

Practical Magic 2 breaks Spidey spell over North American box office Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return to star in Practical Magic 2, whose estimated US$30 million (S$38 million) debut ended Spidey's six-week run in first place. The A-list witches of Warner Bros' Practical Magic 2 cast away Sony's Spider-Man from its weeks-long perch atop the North American box office, industry estimates showed Sunday (Sep 13). Nearly three decades after the beloved original, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return to star in Practical Magic 2, whose estimated US$30 million (S$38 million) debut ended Spidey's six-week run in first place. The film resurrects the story of sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, modern day witches who face a curse that sees any man they fall in love with doomed to an early death. The witch sisters summoned another US$16 million outside of North America, for a total global estimate of US$46 million. The original 1998 film hardly enchanted critics upon its debut, but went on to conjure a cult following that had kept hopes of a sequel alive ever since. "Critics' reviews are weak like they were the first time, but the audience score is very good," said industry watcher David A Gross. The "cast is what drives these movies' success, and Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Maisie Williams and Joey King are strong." But it wasn't all bad news for Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. After swinging from victory to victory, the Tom Holland and Zendaya-led blockbuster caught second place this weekend, bringing in another US$8.4 million, for a global total of US$2.45 billion over its seven weeks in cinemas. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey sailed into a close third place, drawing another US$7.4 million domestically, for an epic US$1.64 billion over its nine-week global box office journey. Runner, an action comedy led by Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, debuted in fourth place, with the heroes fighting a cartel to get a sick young girl a lifesaving organ transplant. It brought in US$6.4 million domestically for Angel Studios. Coyote Vs Acme took fifth place, with Will Forte and an animated Wile E Coyote snaring another US$5.6 million for Falling Forward Films.