M&M'S is giving away a "Practical Magic 2" spell pack, and the only way to get one is to buy a bag of Fun Size candy on its website.
The candy brand partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures on the limited-edition pack, timed to the sequel of the 1998 film.
The Amas Veritas Spell & Snack Pack won't reach a store shelf, which makes the whole campaign a push to MMS.com.
M&M'S also recruited Camilla Belle, who played young Sally Owens in the original film.
She recreates her spellcasting scene 28 years later for Instagram and TikTok.
"Revisiting this beloved scene with M&M'S and giving the 'Amas Veritas' spell a sweet twist has been such a delight," Belle said in a press release.
Allison Miazga-Bedrick, VP of marketing for the seasonal portfolio at Mars Snacking, said the tie-in was meant to give longtime fans a new reason to gather.
"For generations, M&M'S have been a staple of Halloween celebrations and remain the perfect chocolate treat for every spooky moment throughout the season," she said.
"With 'Practical Magic 2' coming to theaters, we wanted to give fans a fun new way to celebrate the magic of the season and bring friends together for a movie they've been waiting for."
Each pack ships free with an M&M'S Milk Chocolate Fun Size Sharing Bag bought at MMS.com/Practical-Magic, while supplies last.
"Practical Magic 2" hits theaters on September 10.
The September release date lets M&M'S open its Halloween season weeks before most shoppers start buying candy.
Warner Bros. sets the calendar, and M&M'S gets an organic co-branding hook that's perfect for the season.
Set to Strike at Midnight
Each pack contains custom M&M'S candies stamped with eight symbols pulled from the original film's love charm.
It also includes four new symbols that hint at plot details from the sequel. This design splits the pack across two audiences.
Eight familiar callbacks reward people who grew up on the first movie, and four unreleased hints reward people already tracking the sequel's marketing.
The first batch dropped September 3 at midnight ET, matching the film's witching-hour theme.
The second wave arrives on September 14 at the same hour.
Supplies are capped at each drop, so the pack functions as two separate short windows.
M&M'S is also running its standard Halloween lineup alongside the film tie-in.
It includes Milk Chocolate, Peanut and Peanut Butter Fun Size variety packs, and orange-and-black Halloween Blend Milk Chocolate and Peanut bags sold in stores nationwide.
These staples keep M&M'S visible on shelves for shoppers who miss the online drops.
The "Practical Magic 2" tie-in runs entirely through digital marketing, where M&M'S owns the checkout and the customer record.
A Spell for Site Traffic
Exclusivity drives the whole mechanic, and grocery shoppers respond to it more than any other category.
A 2024 YouGov survey across 17 markets found food and grocery the category that's most swayed by a "limited edition" label, at 38%.
Meanwhile, the National Retail Federation projected $3.9 billion in Halloween candy spending for 2025.
Licensing International put global sales of licensed merchandise and services at $389.8 billion in 2025.
Character and entertainment licensing grew 8% of this total, to $161.8 billion.
M&M'S stacked a movie release, a returning cast member, and a two-date drop schedule onto this seasonal spending spike.
Each element gives a shopper its own reason to visit MMS.com.
A brand chasing the same effect should look at these three moves that M&M'S made here:
- Split the reward into two windows: A single midnight drop creates one spike of attention. Two drops, spaced across the same month, give the brand a second launch moment without a second product.
- Bring back a face fans already trust: Casting Camilla Belle instead of a new spokesperson turns the campaign into continuity that longtime viewers recognize at a glance.
- Hide new information inside an old format: The four new symbols reward people who already know the original spell, giving repeat buyers something a casual shopper would miss entirely.
Brands weighing a similar movie tie-in should ask whether their limited drop gives people something to look for twice.
Our Take: What's the Product Here?
We believe that the spell pack is a customer-acquisition tool with a Halloween wrapper.
What's actually for sale is the plain Fun Size Sharing Bag underneath it
Every drop countdown and every clip of Camilla Belle points to one URL that Mars owns end-to-end.
Mars keeps the order data, the email, and a direct line to a shopper who would otherwise be a stranger at a Target register.
The retail Halloween lineup still does the volume, so the DTC drop is the piece worth watching.
We'd want to see base-bag velocity during both drop windows.
This number tells us whether the tie-in won new buyers or just moved existing ones earlier on the calendar.
Brands planning entertainment partnerships benefit from working with these top experiential marketing agencies that specialize in audience participation.
