The recent box office battle between Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey has finally been interrupted, as Practical Magic 2 opened in first place. The sequel brought Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman back together nearly three decades after the original, and while the opening did not quite reach some of the more optimistic tracking numbers, it was still more than enough to take the top spot.
Practical Magic 2 Takes the Top Spot
Practical Magic 2 made $30 million in a respectable opening for a movie that is arriving nearly 28 years after its predecessor. Particularly when you consider that the original Practical Magic was not exactly a massive theatrical success when it opened in 1998. The original eventually became a cult favourite, however, and that audience clearly showed up for another visit to the world of the Owens family.
The result is particularly impressive considering the critical reception has been fairly rough. The movie opened below some of the more optimistic tracking, which had put it in the $40 million range, but it still had enough nostalgia power to finally break up the Spider-Man and The Odyssey dominance at the top of the chart.
The big question now is whether Practical Magic 2 can hold onto its audience as we move deeper into the fall. Halloween is still several weeks away, and there is a very specific audience for this movie that could give it some decent legs. It may not become the blockbuster Warner Bros. desperately needs, but it has at least given the studio a number one movie.
Spider-Man Falls to Second
Spider-Man: Brand New Day and it’s $8.4 million is hardly a disaster for a movie that has spent the past several weeks bouncing between the top two spots. The bigger story is that its latest run at number one has finally ended. After weeks of watching new releases attempt to knock Spider-Man off the top spot, Practical Magic 2 finally managed to take the crown.
Even with the drop, Brand New Day continues to be one of the biggest theatrical stories of the year. The film has already moved beyond $900 million domestically and continues to demonstrate the extraordinary staying power that has allowed it to remain near the top of the box office for so long.
The Odyssey Keeps Going
Another $7.4 million gives The Odyssey another strong weekend in third place. At this point, the movie has been in theatres long enough that there is almost nothing left to prove. It has already become one of the year’s biggest movies and continues to pull in audiences despite increasingly crowded competition.
The movie has now crossed the $600 million mark domestically and is sitting at roughly $1.68 billion worldwide, making it an enormous success for Universal. Nine weeks into its run, dropping to third place hardly feels like a problem. The fact that it was still battling Spider-Man for the number one spot this deep into its theatrical run is impressive enough.
Runner Opens in Fourth
Runner, the new Angel Studios release, opened with $6.4 million. Putting it just behind The Odyssey. That is not an especially strong start for a movie arriving with a fairly substantial production budget, and it looks unlikely to become the breakout that the studio was hoping for.
With several major releases arriving over the next few weeks, Runner will have to rely heavily on its existing audience to maintain any momentum. The opening weekend is certainly not disastrous, but it is difficult to call it a major theatrical success either.
Coyote vs. Acme Holds On
Another $6.2 million gives Coyote vs. Acme a surprisingly sturdy fifth-place finish. The movie continues to hang around the top five despite the arrival of new competition, which is becoming one of the more amusing stories of the late summer box office.
It may not be setting the box office on fire, but Coyote vs. Acme has shown some legitimate staying power. At this point, simply refusing to disappear from the chart feels like its own victory.
Next Weekend’s Prediction: Resident Evil
Tracking currently has Resident Evil between $45 million and $60 million, but I am going considerably higher. My prediction is $72 million. Yes, I know that is wild compared to the current tracking, but I think Resident Evil has the kind of established fan base that can produce a significant overperformance when the right movie comes along. We have already seen Weapons and Barbarian exceed their tracked expectations, and while neither movie had the same level of established IP, they demonstrated that horror audiences can turn out in much bigger numbers than the early projections suggest. With the Resident Evil name behind it and a large built in fan base ready to see Raccoon City return to the big screen, I am willing to bet on a major overperformance. It may look crazy now, but I think Resident Evil could absolutely overperform next weekend.
As always, we’ll find out next week.
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