Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are returning to the world of witchcraft in Practical Magic 2. (Movie still)
Nearly three decades after Practical Magic first introduced audiences to the Owens sisters, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are returning to the world of witchcraft, romance and family curses.
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Practical Magic 2, opening in Hong Kong on September 10, once again follows Sally and Gillian Owens as they confront the dark spell that has haunted generations of women in their family.
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Susanne Bier and adapted from Alice Hoffman’s The Book of Magic, the sequel shifts the story into a new generation as Sally’s daughters begin facing the consequences of the same family curse.
Here are three reasons why you should not miss this screening.
1. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman reunite after 28 years
The biggest draw is undoubtedly the return of Bullock and Kidman, who first played sisters Sally and Gillian in the 1998 film.
Both are now Oscar winners, and this time they are also serving as producers on the sequel.
Their contrasting characters remain at the heart of the story: Sally is the more cautious sister, while Gillian has always approached love and magic with fewer reservations.
Bullock said their on-screen connection returned almost immediately despite the long gap between films.
“Nicole and I hadn’t seen each other for more than 20 years, apart from occasionally running into each other on a red carpet. But we could seamlessly become sisters again, as though no time had passed,” she said.
“You can’t explain chemistry. It’s either there or it isn’t — and we have it.”
2. The Owens curse becomes a family affair
The sequel raises the stakes by turning the Owens family’s long-running “love curse” toward the next generation.
The curse dictates that men who fall in love with Owens women are destined to die, and when Sally’s elder daughter begins a relationship of her own, a family secret brings the threat back into focus.
To find a way to break the cycle, Sally and Gillian must trace their family history back to England, taking the story beyond the New England setting of the original film.
The change of scenery gives the sequel room to explore the origins of the curse while keeping the emotional focus on family, inheritance and the patterns one generation passes to the next.
3. Familiar witches meet a new generation
The film brings together returning cast members and younger stars.
Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest reprise their roles as aunts Frances and Jet, reuniting much of the Owens family from the original.
Joining them are Joey King as Sally’s elder daughter, Maisie Williams as her younger daughter, and Lee Pace as a new figure connected to Sally’s story.
Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod also join the cast, expanding the world beyond the characters audiences met in 1998.
For longtime fans, the return of Bullock, Kidman, Channing and Wiest offers a strong dose of nostalgia. For newcomers, the younger cast provides an accessible way into a story built around magic, romance and complicated family bonds.
Practical Magic 2 may arrive 28 years after its predecessor, but its central idea remains simple: for the Owens women, love is rarely straightforward — and neither is magic.
Practical Magic 2 opens in Hong Kong cinemas on September 10.
