LOS ANGELES — Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman view “Practical Magic” very differently today than they did when they made it 28 years ago.
In 1998, the film received mixed reviews and had a modest box office performance. 10, giving them a chance to reckon with the original’s rocky reception and its unlikely second life. It has since become a cult favorite, embraced by a new generation who found the romantic comedy through social media clips. Bullock recalls a promotional push for the original film that became memorable — for the wrong reasons. “We didn’t stumble, but it stumbled, but it didn’t really stumble. Maybe it needed to marinate a little bit. “But here we are, and how lucky are we that we’re still here to be able to go reap the benefits and the rewards of our work? “People started just coming into my life who would go, ‘You want to know what my favorite film of yours is? ‘Practical Magic. And suddenly I was like, ‘What? “It was an incredibly tough fiscal time. “We’re not a big superhero film, so you don’t get the luxury of a big price tag.
The two Oscar winners are returning to their roles of witchy sisters Sally and Gillian Owens in “Practical Magic 2,” in theaters on Sept. Both films trace their roots to Alice Hoffman’s novels: “Practical Magic,” published in 1995, inspired the original film, while her 2021 novel “The Book of Magic” expands the Owens family’s story and provides inspiration for the sequel. We were marinating,” said Bullock. The movie eventually found the audience it had missed in theaters, and Bullock said she realized there had been a reappraisal about six years ago. Wow, OK,’ ” she said. We were hedging the dollar,” Bullock said. “We would love to make a third one, and I think there’s so much more to do with Kylie and Antonia,” she said. “At the end of the movie, spoiler alert, but you kind of feel like the Sally and Gillian characters are kind of the elder aunts, you know, and Kylie and Antonia are the ones launching off into the world as witches.”
