(SeaPRwire) – What qualifies a successful film for a “legacyquel”? For the past decade, this trend seemed exclusive to “Dad Movies” and established genre classics, but this year marks a significant change. In Hollywood’s intense effort to transform standalone films into franchises and capitalize on nostalgia, it’s now venturing into an unexpected territory: the “chick flicks” from the very early 2000s.
This May, a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, decades in the making, is set to arrive, and it won’t be the only film of its kind experiencing a revival. There’s also the forthcoming sequel to Practical Magic, widely regarded as a beloved cult classic for a particular generation of witches. Unlike the Meryl Streep-led fashion comedy that followed it years later, Practical Magic did not achieve substantial box office success. However, this didn’t prevent it from becoming a favorite spooky movie for numerous sleepovers in the 2000s.
In the 1998 original, directed by Griffin Dunne, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman portrayed two sisters born into a family of witches. While their magical escapades are perfect for any Halloween mood board, a curse haunting their lineage constantly disrupted their happiness. Due to a spell cast by a heartbroken ancestor, any man who falls in love with an Owens woman is destined for tragedy. Practical Magic explored this premise with both tragic and comedic elements, following the recently widowed Sally (Bullock) and the free-spirited Gillian (Kidman) on an enchanted journey. Its sequel, conversely, aims to break this curse permanently.
The original Practical Magic primarily focused on Sally’s efforts to open her heart again after losing her first husband to the Owens family curse. She developed feelings for the detective investigating what appeared to be suspicious murders from an external perspective. The fact that Aidan Quinn will not be reprising his role as Gary Hallet seems to confirm his tragic fate. A similar destiny likely awaits Lee Pace’s mysterious new character (who may or may not be romantically pursuing Gilly). This is also a challenge that Sally’s daughters (played by Maisie Williams and Joey King, taking over from Alexandra Artrip and Evan Rachel Wood) will face as they experience love for the first time.
That is, unless the Owens family can find a solution. According to the official synopsis, “the Owens sisters must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all.” The sequel’s initial trailer hints at an even grander adventure; provided it retains the original’s eerie charm, Practical Magic 2 could achieve the box office success its predecessor never did.
Practical Magic 2 is scheduled for release in theaters on September 11.
This article is provided by a third-party content provider. SeaPRwire (https://www.seaprwire.com/) makes no warranties or representations regarding its content.
Category: Top News, Daily News
SeaPRwire provides global press release distribution services for companies and organizations, covering more than 6,500 media outlets, 86,000 editors and journalists, and over 3.5 million end-user desktop and mobile apps. SeaPRwire supports multilingual press release distribution in English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Russian, Indonesian, Malay, Vietnamese, Chinese, and more.