✎ Editor’s notes on 11 facts

FILM · 2026 · USA

Practical Magic 2

Directed by: Susanne Bier
Runtime: 130 min
Studio: Di Novi Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Blossom Films

11 archived facts 6 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Oct 2026

The Owens sisters must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all.

11 Interesting Facts About Practical Magic 2

Name: Practical Magic 2
Released: 2026

Interesting Facts (1)

#001
The audio-book of the novel is narrated by Jennifer Ehle.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Audiobooks are a brilliant invention for people who can't read or don't have time to read.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Jennifer Ehle portraitImage: Wikimedia Commons · Gordon Correll, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Production Story (4)

#002
Loosely based on Alice Hoffman's novel "The Book of Magic" from 2021. In total there are four books in the series; The original from 1995, the sequel, and two prequels, The Rules of Magic (2017) and Magic Lessons (2020).
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Usually, books turned into series or films aren't better than the books. There are two exceptions, for example. One is The Godfather, the other is Fight Club, and the author of the Fight Club book said the film was better than the book.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in the gardenImage: IMDb
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#003
In 2019, Producer Denise Di Novi was originally set to produce a television series adaptation of Alice Hoffman's prequel novel Rules of Magic for HBO Max before this movie was announced.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
A show airing under HBO generally isn't bad. The reason it got shelved might be a quality issue. On the digital platform of what's maybe the best channel in the world — the one behind The Wire, The Sopranos, OZ, Game of Thrones, True Detective season 1 — I don't think just any show gets released.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Practical Magic 2 promotional eventImage: IMDb
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#004
During the press tour of the film, journalists were banned from asking Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman about Evan Rachel Wood.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Since I haven't seen the first film and can't really do a deep analysis, the fact that she's not in the second one may have left people with a question mark, and that might be why they banned journalists from asking about it.
The team should have explained why the actress isn't in the second film. She must have been a big enough star for them to ban that question.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman at the promotional eventImage: IMDb
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#005
Director Susanne Bier stated that recasting Evan Rachel Wood as Kylie was "not a personal thing", explaining that the character in the sequel's story are "right out of college". Because of this timeline, Joey King took over the role. Additionally, Maisie Williams replaced Alexandra Artrip as Antonia, as Artrip retired from acting in 1998.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Yes, they explained it here. She's not in it because they decided the role should continue with a younger actress. They stressed that "it's nothing personal." But that's not a very satisfying answer. Because the actress is young and still at an age where she could play her younger self with some makeup and editing. And blocking journalists from asking questions only raises more suspicion.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Joey King and Maisie Williams togetherImage: IMDb
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Behind the Scenes (1)

#006
According to Allure Magazine, flashback scenes utilized AI de-aging as well as strategic makeup.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
I don't think AI has any business in cinema, which is a real art form. It can be used for makeup, but a film with AI's contribution is never good. At this rate, people are going to kill the art of cinema. I learned this is the first series or film to use AI. That's wrong. AI can't reach into the realm of art. Art exists beyond scientific and physical laws, through passion, emotion and desire. So using AI here is completely wrong.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Joey King and aging makeupImage: IMDb
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Characters & Cast (1)

#007
Contains a major spoiler — show
Evan Rachel Wood, who portrayed Kylie in the first film, criticized "Practical Magic 2", saying, "In the new film, they removed the pregnancy and queerness from my character, made her younger, and sent her in search of a way to break the curse, instead of her younger sister". In fact, Kylie is almost ten years older in "Practical Magic 2" compared to the book (early 20s vs. 16) and is the sister who ventures to England in both the book and the film. The "pregnancy and queerness" Wood mentions actually refer to the character's sister, Antonia, played by Maisie Williams. Antonia's pregnancy was removed in the film, while her sexuality is never elaborated. Wood's confusion stems from Kylie being the older sister in the first film, but the younger sister in the sequel film, as she is in the novel series.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
This and a few of the points above explain why this film doesn't rise above mediocre — why it's below mediocre. The film is very messy and everything's tangled together. There's no proper cinematography, there's a team that even bans questions about the actress from the first film, there's a tone that keeps drifting into pink. There's all sorts of stuff, and I don't think the film is worth watching.
While putting this together I came across the Resident Evil 2026 film, watched it right away and liked it. I think it's better than most films coming out today. But I didn't get that impression while compiling this one. I don't think it's a film worth watching.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Photo contains a major spoiler — show
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Nicole Kidman, Joey King and Maisie Williams at the eventImage: IMDb
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Deeper Meaning (1)

#008
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the novel, Antonia (played by Maisie Williams in this movie, originally performed by Alexandra Artrip), is pregnant and gives birth to a baby boy, whom she conceived with a gay male friend. She is also a lesbian and in a relationship with a woman named Ariel, and has thus has managed to have a family while avoiding the family curse. Neither plot element is included in the film.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
I didn't know the film was based on a novel. But the character both getting pregnant and being a lesbian is extreme, even for today's world. There's a lot of cheating in the world, even if I don't approve of it. But that doesn't change the fact that, just like the previous one, a bisexual character refusing to give up either sex is extreme.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Photo contains a major spoiler — show
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Joey King and Maisie Williams at the eventImage: IMDb
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Career & Awards (3)

#009
With a score of 39% on review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the score is in improvement on the original Practical Magic (1998), which has a "rotten" score of 30% among critics.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Both the first film and the second show me that it doesn't rise above mediocre — it's actually below mediocre. That's what my research says. How it reached a certain audience, though, is a question mark. Or is this a case where people can more easily consume films that don't require any intelligence? It's also interesting that so much interesting info got put into the film. I trimmed the interesting bits.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman togetherImage: IMDb
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#010
The cast includes three Oscar winners: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, and one Oscar nominee: Stockard Channing. Kidman and Bullock both won their Oscar, after appearing in the original film.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
In film and TV, the longer something drags on, the more it falls apart. The IMDb rating gap between the first film and the second is only 0.1.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman togetherImage: IMDb
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#011
With a rating of 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, this is Warner Bros' second worst reviewed movie of the 2020's. It is surpassed by Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), with a aggregated score of 33%. Both movies star Nicole Kidman.
Editor’s noteArka Evren
Nicole Kidman doesn't seem like a visionary. It's as if she's approved every film, with no particular standard. She's not a bad actress, actually — she could be even more popular worldwide today, but the bad films she's been in may have pushed her a bit into the background.
sufferwithme / Founder / Editor
Practical Magic 2 (2026): Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman at the eventImage: IMDb
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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work