I’d wanted to see Practical Magic 2 when it hit the 2026 release schedule, but I hadn’t been able to Week 1 thanks to a combo of work travel and an epic sinus infection. I’m taking care of my mother after a surgery this week, so my sister and I had exactly one day to grab a margarita and some popcorn and check out the sequel to the beloved ‘90s film we’d watched frequently in our youths. We also have jobs, so there’s a limited window in which we can see movies after work, and when we tried to get tickets we were faced with a movie theater dilemma that has cropped up quite frequently: See the flick on a premium screen or don’t see it at all. Here’s the thing. I want to support Practical Magic 2. I ultimately shelled out a whopping amount of cash for Practical Magic 2, but to be completely honest with you, I was really salty about it. If my sister and I were going to go together, I had to see the movie on Wednesday, and three of the four smaller screenings of the film that were happening across the two theaters near us around the same time were sold out by the time we were looking for tickets. I know, I know the early bird gets the worm. There was one screening open, however, a premium format experience at a theater which I shall not name located in the suburb of a mid-sized city in the US. These tickets were almost $22 dollars compared to the $7 (plus fee for buying online) the regular screenings were! We had this limited window, so we begrudgingly bought the pricey tickets, but I was really mad about my options. Clearly, there was demand to see this movie, but to be honest with you Practical Magic 2 is not The Odyssey. It’s not an Avengers movie, it doesn’t rely on any flashy practical effects to tell its story in any way, shape or form. In fact, the magic is a little folksy in this movie, and it probably would have been better had I not watched it being flashed on a larger screen than usual. (Image credit: Warner Bros)Here's What Happened. Ultimately, there were 8 people who shelled out to see Practical Magic 2 on a Wednesday night in one of the largest theaters in town. There were three other completely booked – like even front row seats booked – screenings that night. I KNOW in my heart of hearts people want to see Practical Magic 2, but if tickets are over $20 bucks, there’s a wide swathe of people for movies like these who are just going to say, “Thanks, but no thanks, I’ll watch it streaming.” Even if the theater made significantly more on those 8 people who begrudgingly bought premium tickets, context clues indicate the theater would have filled up more if the price had been more reasonable. I get that movie theaters are between a rock and a hard place. They have these big budget screens they want to charge more for, and in a week like last week, Practical Magic 2 was the big, splashy new release. You have to put something in that theater. But I’d argue by doing so, they probably capped the number of people willing to shell out to see the movie. I think the other theaters being full and the premium screening being nearly empty proves that. I also know movies like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and others have achieved insane box office numbers in recent months thanks to inflated ticket costs and that movies like this are helping to keep theaters healthy and in business. Some movies do look awesome on a premium screen. This week, doubtless most premium formats have shifted to Zach Cregger’s box office behemoth Resident Evil, which probably deserves to be seen on a giant screen. I’m just saying we don’t have one of these tentpole movies in theaters every week, and a better system needs to be figured out to get butts in seats. Practical Magic 2 was adorable and (mostly) everything I wanted from a sequel to one of the nineties’ quirkiest films. However, there’s no world where I needed to see it on the biggest screen possible with the best sound possible. It was probably a worse experience that way. Don’t make me pay out the wazoo on it.