‘90s Classic ‘Practical Magic’ Returns in First Sequel Trailer

You won’t believe it, but they actually did it! A Practical Magic 2 is real, and it’s coming almost 30 years after the first movie. Even better, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back! And for those of us who really love the original, Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest are returning too – legends, honestly!

The 1998 movie focused on the Owens family, who were affected by an ancient curse that caused heartbreak for any man who loved a woman in their family. Now, years later, a follow-up story naturally asks: what happens with the next generation of Owens women?

Joey King stars as Sandra Bullock’s daughter in the film, and the trailer reveals she shares a kiss with Xolo Maridueña, known from Cobra Kai. It’s a risky move – if I were Xolo, I’d definitely check my life insurance policy!

Watch the first teaser for Practical Magic 2 below.

The sequel to Practical Magic has a new director, Susanne Bier, taking over from Griffin Dunne. However, Akiva Goldsman, who wrote the first film, returned to co-write the script. He teamed up with Georgia Pritchett, a seasoned television writer known for shows like Succession, The Thick of It, and The Shrink Next Door. Both movies are based on the novels by Alice Hoffman.

Here is the sequel’s official synopsis:

Practical Magic 2 brings Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman back to a world of enchanting spells and playful magic. The Owens sisters face a dangerous curse that could destroy their family in this exciting and entertaining film filled with fun, magic, and a little bit of chaos.

Practical Magic 2 is scheduled to open in theaters on September 11.

Horror Sequels You Forgot Existed

Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)

The original Candyman film wasn’t a massive hit, but it did well enough to warrant a sequel. Despite having a unique subtitle, Farewell to the Flesh, and being directed by future Oscar winner Bill Condon, the second Candyman received poor reviews and earned significantly less money than the first film. The third installment went straight to video, and the series faded into relative obscurity until Nia DaCosta revived it a few years ago.

Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)

Few people probably remember the first Urban Legend movie, and even fewer know about its sequel, which came out two years later. Both films clearly tried to capitalize on the success of Scream, but instead of referencing horror movie clichés, the killer in Urban Legend used famous urban legends as inspiration for the murders – like the story about a scream recorded on the song “Love Rollercoaster.” The sequel follows a similar idea, with a film student and her crew becoming victims as they investigate urban legends. While not the worst of the Scream imitators from that time, these movies weren’t particularly memorable, and have largely been forgotten except by dedicated slasher fans.

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)

I have a soft spot for sequels that simply add an ‘s’ to the original title, like James Cameron’s Aliens and Urban Legends: Final Cut. That leads me to Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, which continues the story from the original Anaconda. Instead of a film crew, this sequel follows a research team searching for a rare flower with the potential to create a life-saving medicine. Unfortunately, they encounter a lot of snakes who see them as a tasty meal. Anacondas actually did pretty well in theaters, earning over $70 million, but it wasn’t a particularly memorable film for most viewers.

The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)

Wes Craven’s first film, The Hills Have Eyes, is considered one of his early successes, and he followed it up with a sequel in 1985. In 2005, Alexandre Aja remade the film, capitalizing on the trend of successful horror remakes like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn of the Dead. Aja’s remake also did well, leading to a sequel, The Hills Have Eyes 2. Surprisingly, Craven himself helped produce and write the second film, but it wasn’t as popular as the original, earning only half as much money in theaters. The author jokingly suggests that if the sequel had been titled Those Hills Have Eyes Too, it might have been a much bigger hit in 2007.

Survival of the Dead (2009)

George A. Romero’s original zombie trilogy is legendary, but fewer fans are familiar with the later Dead films he made towards the end of his career. While Land of the Dead initially gained attention as his first zombie movie in years, it wasn’t a critical or fan favorite. The two sequels that followed were even less noticed. Document of the Dead saw Romero experimenting with the found-footage style, and Survival of the Dead – his final film – lacked a strong marketing angle. It follows National Guardsmen seeking safety during a zombie apocalypse who stumble upon an island where two families are locked in a feud. Essentially, they trade one conflict for another. It’s a decent premise for a horror movie with deeper meaning, but perhaps not groundbreaking enough for the sixth film in the series.

The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia (2013)

It’s hard to believe the title “The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts in Georgia” isn’t a joke – it sounds like something from a Saturday Night Live sketch! But the movie is based on a true story, or at least, that’s what people were told. The strange part is, the film completely changed locations from the original events in Southington, Connecticut, to rural Georgia. Surprisingly, audiences didn’t seem to mind that the Georgia movie had little to do with the actual Connecticut haunting. It’s pretty unbelievable, isn’t it?

The Last Exorcism: Part II (2013)

It seemed like The Last Exorcism: Part II was set up to fail. The title itself doesn’t make much sense – how can it be the second to last exorcism? And it’s tough to follow up a found footage horror movie with a typical sequel, but CBS Films tried it anyway. Interestingly, Damien Chazelle, who later directed Whiplash and La La Land, helped write the script. However, his involvement hasn’t made the film any more well-known.

Blair Witch (2016)

As a film buff, I always found the success of The Blair Witch Project fascinating – it really tricked people into believing it was real, or at least allowed them to want to believe it. And that’s the problem with sequels, especially when the original felt so authentic – how do you recapture that? The second Blair Witch film just didn’t try to maintain the found footage style. They went in a totally different direction for the third film, filming it in complete secrecy and initially advertising it as a movie called The Woods. Can you believe they actually surprised audiences by revealing it was a Blair Witch sequel after people were already watching the first preview? Talk about a risky move – and honestly, a bit of a strange one!

Rings (2017)

Most fans have largely forgotten The Ring Two and even more so the third film, Rings, which starred Naomi Watts. Rings came out twelve years after the second movie and relied on the original videotape to connect it to the earlier stories. While it did reasonably well in theaters, Rings received very negative reviews – it currently has an 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This poor reception appears to have ended the franchise, as a fourth film has never been made.

The Craft: Legacy (2020)

The original film, The Craft, was a major cult classic in the 1990s. Its sequel, The Craft: Legacy, unfortunately didn’t find a large audience when it was released during the height of the pandemic. Now, with Cailee Spaeny – who has since starred in films like Priscilla, Civil War, and Alien: Romulus – taking the lead, it feels like the perfect time for The Craft: Legacy to gain a devoted following of its own.

2026-04-20 19:57