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. It has since become a cult favorite, embraced by a new generation who found the romantic comedy through social media clips. The two Oscar winners are returning to their roles of witchy sisters Sally and Gillian Owens in "Practical Magic 2,” in theaters on Sept. 10, giving them a chance to reckon with the original’s rocky reception and its unlikely second life.
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.
Bullock recalls a promotional push for the original film that became memorable – for the wrong reasons.
"I had so much trauma from the press junket from the first one because it was brutal,” Bullock recalls. "We were not well-received because we were ‘too much,’ ‘too witchy,’ ‘too many women,’ ‘too many tones.’ I’m like, ‘Have you lived a day in a life as a woman?’ ”
