# Practical Magic
*Practical Magic* is a 1998 American comedy-fantasy-romance film directed by [Griffin Dunne](https://www.edgepedia.org/griffin-dunne), adapted from [Alice Hoffman](https://www.edgepedia.org/alice-hoffman)'s 1995 novel of the same name, starring [Sandra Bullock](https://www.edgepedia.org/sandra-bullock) and Nicole Kidman as Sally and Gillian Owens, sisters from a family of witches whose love lives are haunted by a curse that kills any man who falls in love with an Owens woman. Released by Warner Bros. on October 16, 1998, the film received mixed reviews and a modest box office performance, but it later became a cult favorite, particularly among women viewers, and inspired a 2026 theatrical sequel.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | October 16, 1998 (theaters), Warner Bros.; PG-13; 1h 44m[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic) |
| Director / writers | Griffin Dunne; screenplay credited to Alice Hoffman, Robin Swicord, Akiva Goldsman, and Adam Brooks[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic) |
| Lead cast | Sandra Bullock (Sally Owens), Nicole Kidman (Gillian Owens), Dianne Wiest (Aunt Jet), Stockard Channing (Aunt Frances), Aidan Quinn (Gary Hallet), Goran Visnjic (Jimmy Angelov)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/practical-magic/) |
| Box office | $46.8 million in the United States; about $94 million worldwide against a reported production budget of around $75 million[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic) • [3](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/sandra-bullock-critics-practical-magic-too-many-women-28-years-after-release) |
| Critical reception | 31% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (111 reviews); Metascore 48 on Metacritic, labeled mixed or average[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/practical-magic/) |
| Audience standing | 73% on the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter from more than 100,000 ratings; Metacritic user score 6.9[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/practical-magic/) |
| Sequel | *Practical Magic 2*, directed by Susanne Bier, released September 10, 2026, based on Hoffman's 2021 novel *The Book of Magic*[4](https://apnews.com/article/5b30cbe9336cfd2c278353ce7ccbae7c) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
Sally and Gillian Owens are born into a magical family and have mostly avoided witchcraft themselves. After their father dies and their mother dies of a broken heart, the sisters are raised by their aunts, Frances ([Stockard Channing](https://www.edgepedia.org/stockard-channing)) and Bridget "Jet" ([Dianne Wiest](https://www.edgepedia.org/dianne-wiest)), in a cliffside estate, and are regarded as outcasts in their town. A family curse kills any man who falls in love with an Owens woman; Sally vows never to fall in love, while Gillian throws herself into romance.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic) • [5](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/how-practical-magic-pissed-off-a-real-life-witch)
The plot turns when Gillian's abusive boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov (Goran Visnjic), dies unexpectedly. The sisters give themselves a crash course in hard magic, attempt to resurrect him, and unwittingly inject his corpse with an evil spirit that threatens their family line. Police officer Gary Hallet ([Aidan Quinn](https://www.edgepedia.org/aidan-quinn)) investigates Jimmy's death while Sally finds herself falling in love with him.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic) • [5](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/how-practical-magic-pissed-off-a-real-life-witch)
### Adaptation attempts and sequel
Several attempts to extend the story on television failed: a CBS sitcom pilot in 2003, an ABC Family series in 2010, and a 2019 [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) adaptation of Hoffman's prequel novel *The Rules of Magic*, none of which gained traction.[5](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/how-practical-magic-pissed-off-a-real-life-witch) Hoffman published *The Rules of Magic* in 2017 as a prequel exploring the aunts' youth, and *The Book of Magic* in 2021 as the concluding novel of the series.[8](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/73701-bookexpo-2017-the-method-behind-the-magic-alice-hoffman.html) • [4](https://apnews.com/article/5b30cbe9336cfd2c278353ce7ccbae7c)
**Practical Magic 2** reunited Bullock and Kidman as Sally and Gillian, now middle-aged, with [Susanne Bier](https://www.edgepedia.org/susanne-bier) directing from a screenplay by [Akiva Goldsman](https://www.edgepedia.org/akiva-goldsman), who co-wrote the first film. It adapts Hoffman's 2021 novel *The Book of Magic*, in which the sisters try to end the curse for good, and introduces a younger generation of Owens women played by [Joey King](https://www.edgepedia.org/joey-king) and Maisie Williams, with Lee Pace also joining the cast.[4](https://apnews.com/article/5b30cbe9336cfd2c278353ce7ccbae7c) Released theatrically on September 10, 2026, it opened at number one with $30 million and earned $104.6 million worldwide, more than doubling the original's opening weekend, against a reported $75 million production budget.[4](https://apnews.com/article/5b30cbe9336cfd2c278353ce7ccbae7c) • [9](https://www.cabletv.com/entertainment/where-to-watch-practical-magic-2)
A stage musical is also in development, based on Hoffman's novel and the Warner Bros. film, with an original score by Grammy winners [Norah Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/norah-jones) and Gregg Wattenberg, a book by Hoffman and Peter Duchan, and direction by Maria Friedman.[10](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206674/practical-magic-musical-in-development-with-original-score-by-norah-jones-and-gregg-wattenberg/)
## Production and reception
The film was produced by Denise Di Novi through Fortis Films and DiNovi Pictures for Warner Bros.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic) Vanity Fair reported that the roles of the aunts were originally envisioned for [Vanessa Redgrave](https://www.edgepedia.org/vanessa-redgrave) and [Julie Christie](https://www.edgepedia.org/julie-christie) before Channing and Wiest were cast.[5](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/how-practical-magic-pissed-off-a-real-life-witch)
**Critical response was mixed to negative.** Despite opening at number one at the box office, the film drew criticism for its shifting tones. Roger Ebert called it "too scary for children and too childish for adults"; Janet Maslin of The New York Times described it as "nothing but a guilty pleasure"; and [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly) called it "a witch comedy so slapdash, plodding, and muddled it seems to have had a hex put on it."[3](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/sandra-bullock-critics-practical-magic-too-many-women-28-years-after-release) • [5](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/how-practical-magic-pissed-off-a-real-life-witch) Director Griffin Dunne recalled Warner Bros. co-CEO Bob Daly saying at the premiere, after a lighthearted scene was followed by the sisters digging up a body, "I wish the kid would just pick a tone."[5](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/how-practical-magic-pissed-off-a-real-life-witch) Sandra Bullock later said critics complained the film had "too many women" and a tone that could not find its footing.[3](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/sandra-bullock-critics-practical-magic-too-many-women-28-years-after-release)
## Cult following and legacy
The film found its audience slowly, through home viewing, streaming services, and social media clips, and it became a Halloween-season favorite.[4](https://apnews.com/article/5b30cbe9336cfd2c278353ce7ccbae7c) Its soundtrack, featuring [Faith Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/faith-hill)'s "This Kiss," Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You," and two original Stevie Nicks tracks, is frequently cited as part of its appeal.[5](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/how-practical-magic-pissed-off-a-real-life-witch) Alice Hoffman, the author of the source novel, said the story had become "kind of a cult thing" shared by men and women alike because of its focus on sisterhood and friendship.[6](https://www.vanityfair.com/story/alice-hoffman-practical-magic-sequel-witches-of-cambridge-interview)
Scholarly and critical writing places the film in the wave of 1990s screen witchcraft alongside *Sabrina the Teenage Witch*, *Charmed*, and *The Craft*, in which witches were portrayed as women with agency rather than villains. A British Film Institute essay argues that in *Practical Magic*, witchiness is a boon rather than a blight, not something to be cured by romance, and that the relationship at the heart of the film is sororal rather than romantic.[7](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/hex-appeal-how-witches-charmed-cinema)
## References
1. [Practical Magic, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/practical_magic)
2. [Practical Magic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/practical-magic/)
3. [Sandra Bullock Reflects On Critics Saying Practical Magic Had 'Too Many Women' 28 Years After Its Release, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/sandra-bullock-critics-practical-magic-too-many-women-28-years-after-release)
4. ['Practical Magic 2' conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million](https://apnews.com/article/5b30cbe9336cfd2c278353ce7ccbae7c)
5. [How 'Practical Magic' Pissed Off a Real-Life Witch, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/10/how-practical-magic-pissed-off-a-real-life-witch)
6. [Bewitched: 'Practical Magic' Author Alice Hoffman on the Hotly Anticipated Sequel, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/story/alice-hoffman-practical-magic-sequel-witches-of-cambridge-interview)
7. [Hex appeal: how witches charmed the cinema, Sight and Sound, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/hex-appeal-how-witches-charmed-cinema)
8. [BookExpo 2017: The Method Behind the Magic: Alice Hoffman, Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/73701-bookexpo-2017-the-method-behind-the-magic-alice-hoffman.html)
9. [Where To Watch 'Practical Magic 2', CableTV.com](https://www.cabletv.com/entertainment/where-to-watch-practical-magic-2)
10. [Practical Magic Musical in Development With Original Score by Norah Jones and Gregg Wattenberg, Broadway.com](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/206674/practical-magic-musical-in-development-with-original-score-by-norah-jones-and-gregg-wattenberg/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 1990s › Released 1996 to 1999*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license