The End of Spooky Season: Practical Magic Leaves HBO Max
As the spooky season comes to an end, fans can expect some haunting favorites to disappear as well. One of the films that will be leaving HBO Max at the end of the month is Practical Magic. The film, which has a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, stars Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock as Gillian and Sally Owens, sisters who come from a long line of witches.
The Original Film
The film is based on the book of the same name by Alice Hoffman, and the popular 1998 film will soon receive a sequel based on another of her novels, The Book of Magic. This film will premiere next September. The logline for the original Practical Magic movie is as follows:
“Born into a magical family, Sally and Gillian Owens have largely shunned witchcraft themselves. But when Gillian’s evil boyfriend Jimmy Angelov dies unexpectedly, the Owens sisters take a crash course in hard magic. When police officer Gary Hallet becomes suspicious, the girls fight to revive Angelov – and unknowingly inject an evil spirit into his corpse that threatens to destroy their family line.”
Everything We Know About the Practical Magic Sequel
According to a social media post from Kidman earlier this year, filming on the long-awaited sequel recently wrapped. The film will be released on September 18, 2026. In addition to Kidman and Bullock, their returns are also confirmed by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest. Lee Pace, Xolo Mariduena, Maisie Williams, and Solly McLeod were also cast in the sequel. Faces behind the scenes from the original production will also return, with Susanne Bier directing, and original writer Akiva Goldsman and original producer Denise Di Novi working on the sequel.
What to Expect from the Sequel
Earlier this year, Kidman announced the sequel, calling it "fun and witty." She said, “I think [fans are] will be very satisfied. We will be very faithful. We recognize how important these characters and this film are to so many people. We won’t reinvent the wheel. As in the first film, we will be based on Alice Hoffman’s books, and We’ll stay true to the chronology of how many years later it is." The Book of Magic follows Sally’s daughter Kylie as she continues to uncover the curse that sits on the Owens women’s bloodline. This curse seemed to be broken in the first film, but things may not be as permanent as Sally and Gillian had hoped.
Streaming Information
Practical Magic will be streaming on HBO Max through the end of the month. The film was released on October 16, 1998, and has a duration of 104 minutes. Fans can catch the film before it leaves the platform, and stay tuned for the sequel’s release next year.
