Sandra Bullock Recalls First ‘Practical Magic’ Bombing After Thinking ‘People Are Going to Love It’: ‘And Then It Got Quiet’

The Owen sisters may be back in “Practical Magic 2” 28 years after Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock first played the sibling witches, but that doesn’t mean the first movie’s outing doesn’t still sting a little.

The original “Practical Magic” was a critical and box office failure before earning cult classic status over the last almost three decades.

“We thought, ‘This is going to be such an amazing film. People are going to love it,’” Bullock recalled. “And then it got quiet. It got quiet. [They] were like, ‘How many women in a film do you need? How many tones do you need? What kind of film is this?’

“And here’s the thing that I really wanna bring up and I bring it up ad nauseum, Griffin Dunne created this world with us,” Bullock said, referring to the first film’s director.

Kidman added, “And he loved us and he let us shine.”

Bullock continued, “It’s because of him, this film exists and he never got to smell the flowers when we made it. So tonight we’re honoring him.”

Why did they decide to make the sequel now?

“It just happened,” Kidman said. It was more like serendipity and it came and we were ready and everything fell into place. It’s like in life — you try to force things, it doesn’t work. You have to wait, be patient, and we both kind of open to it.”

“Practical Magic 2” is based on Alice Hoffman’s novel “The Book of Magic.” Directed by Susanne Bier, the film sees the return of original stars Kidman, Bullock, Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest. Newcomers include Joey King, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod.

This is the second time King worked with Kidman following the 2024 rom-com “Family Affair” with Zac Efron. “When you have someone who has been through so much, who is open and loving with their knowledge, I couldn’t be more grateful,” King told me of her relationship with Kidman. “I feel so lucky to be able to go to her.”