The A-list witches of Warner Bros "Practical Magic 2" cast away Sony's "Spider-Man" from its weeks-long perch atop the North American box office, industry estimates showed on Sunday.
Nearly three decades after the beloved original, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return to star in the sequel, whose estimated $30 million debut brought an end to Spidey's six-week run in first place.
The sequel's arrival gave the North American chart a new leader after weeks dominated by the superhero.
The film resurrects the story of sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, modern-day witches living under a curse that dooms any man they fall in love with to an early death.
The witch sisters also summoned another $16 million from cinemas outside North America, taking the film's estimated global opening haul to a total of $46 million.
The original "Practical Magic", released in 1998, hardly enchanted critics when it first arrived in cinemas. But it went on to conjure a cult following, keeping hopes of a sequel alive in the decades that followed.
"Critics' reviews are weak like they were the first time, but the audience score is very good", said industry watcher David A Gross.
The "cast is what drives these movies' success and Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Maisie Williams and Joey King are strong".
But losing its hold on the top spot did not mean it was all bad news for Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day".
After swinging from victory to victory during its six weeks at number one, the blockbuster led by Tom Holland and Zendaya caught second place this weekend.
It brought in another $8.4 million in North America, pushing its global total to $2.45 billion over seven weeks in cinemas.
Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" sailed into a close third place, drawing another $7.4 million domestically. Its worldwide earnings now stand at an epic $1.64 billion over its nine-week global box office journey.
"Runner", an action comedy led by Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson, entered the chart in fourth place on its debut weekend.
The film follows its heroes as they fight a cartel to get a sick young girl a lifesaving organ transplant. It brought in $6.4 million domestically for Angel Studios.
"Coyote vs Acme" took fifth place, with Will Forte and an animated Wile E Coyote snaring another $5.6 million for Falling Forward Films.
Rounding out the top 10 were "Buddy", with $3.5 million and "Insidious: Out of the Further", which brought in $3.4 million.
"Hope" and "The Uprising" followed with $3.3 million each, while "By Any Means" completed the weekend's top 10 with takings of $2.5 million. — AFP
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