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Tag: Hocus Pocus

  • Disney Has Put ‘Hocus Pocus 3’ into Development

    Disney Has Put ‘Hocus Pocus 3’ into Development

    Disney has officially ordered a third Hocus Pocus movie. The news was announced on Sunday, with Walt Disney Pictures president Sean Bailey revealing the news in a New York Times profile piece. When asked what other upcoming live-action projects were in development at the studio, Bailey answered with, “‘Hocus Pocus 3’ is happening.”

    The news comes after the long-awaited sequel to 1993’s Hocus Pocus finally hit Disney+ in 2022. The sequel saw Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy return as the Sanderson Sisters, however, the film notably left out some of the main cast from the original film. Hocus Pocus 2 writer, Jen D’Angelo, explained that she hoped they could bring back both Max (Omri Katz) and Alison (Vinessa Shaw) for a third film. “We tried so hard to get the original cast back for cameos and then it just kept not working out for one reason or the other. But I’m hoping in ‘Hocus Pocus 3,’ we’ll see Max and Alison living in California.”

    Anne Fletcher directed Hocus Pocus 2 from D’Angelo’s script, but it’s currently unknown if either are returning for Hocus Pocus 3.

    Both Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are currently streaming on Disney+.

    Source: Variety via New York Times.

  • ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ is Nielsen’s Biggest Recorded Opening Weekend for a Movie

    ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ is Nielsen’s Biggest Recorded Opening Weekend for a Movie

    It looks like the Sanderson sisters put a hex on Disney+, as the Nielsen ratings have revealed that Hocus Pocus 2 has become Nielsen’s biggest-ever recorded opening. The film was watched a whopping 2.7 billion minutes after its September 30th premiere on the Disney-owned streaming platform. Not only is it quite a testament to the cult status of this film, but it also reveals that people were just waiting for a fun Halloween special. It does make you wonder if this is another proof of the power of legacy sequels in the modern market, or perhaps the urge for something different on the platform.

    That isn’t the only record that was broken from the week of September 26th to October 2nd. Ryan Murphy‘s Jeffrey Dahmer series, Monster, once again took the top spot in the Nielsen Top 10 ratings with 4.4 billion minutes viewed. Not only is it a massive success for Netflix; even with the controversies surrounding the project, but it managed to break the previous record and is now the seventh most-streamed program within a single week.

    It looks like it was a great week for the streaming market. Some have been pushing ongoing online wars on what “series is winning” the various weeks; most notably with the House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings debates, as well as people trying to prove personal beliefs on if She-Hulk: Attorney at Law‘s a success. Yet, direct comparisons between streaming services with unique viewership demographics and various KPI basis makes any direct comparisons nothing more than personal discussions rather than

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Hocus Pocus 2’: Bette Midler Discusses the Long-Gestating Sequel

    ‘Hocus Pocus 2’: Bette Midler Discusses the Long-Gestating Sequel

    Rumors of a sequel to the 1993 cult classic Halloween film Hocus Pocus swirled for the better part of a decade. Over those years, star Bette Midler was often right in the mix with fans in pushing for the sequel and at one point made it clear she wouldn’t be interested in anything less than a true follow-up, refusing to take part in a remake of the original in 2017. Finally, in October of 2019, Hocus Pocus 2 got the green light at Disney, and a year later Midler, along with co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, were on board to reprise their roles as the Sanderson sisters.

    According to Midler, however, despite how well-loved the original film is and all the rumors, speculation and fan support for a sequel, she wasn’t so sure that Hocus Pocus 2 would ever really happen. During the global press conference held following the film’s premiere, Midler admitted she didn’t truly believe the day would come when the sequel would come together.

    I didn’t until the day finally came. And then I realized, oh, we’re really gonna do this. This was kind of a dream come true, it really was. I mean, I’ve been, I don’t want to say, agitating but kind of like after I realized it was actually a phenomenon, I started asking people around my age and people like that, don’t you think they would be interested in a sequel? This was a long time ago. This was like 15 years ago, something like that. So here we are.

    Bette Midler

    Midler’s passion for the project certainly kept a potential sequel from dying in development hell. And given the film’s ending and post-credit scene, it’s possible that Hocus Pocus 2 won’t be the last film in what could well become a Disney Halloween franchise.

    Hocus Pocus 2 is now streaming on Disney Plus.

  • ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Trailer Pulls in Massive Viewership Within 24 Hours, Beats Out ‘The Mandalorian’s

    ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Trailer Pulls in Massive Viewership Within 24 Hours, Beats Out ‘The Mandalorian’s

    Now, this isn’t something you would expect but there’s a reason Hocus Pocus was such a cult classic even after all these years. After a long wait, the first trailer has finally arrived for the sequel, simply titled Hocus Pocus 2, that’ll see the return of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy in the roles they played 29 years ago. Within 24 hours, the trailer has pulled in a massive 43.6M.

    To put that into comparison, it has outperformed some of Diseny+’s biggest trailer releases such as The Book of Boba Fett’s 23M and Luca’s 28M. Not only that, it even surpassed the teasers for the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, which stood at 35M each. Those are some massive numbers, and once again highlighted just how valuable a continuation of a classic franchise truly can be with such a long break, as we saw with Top Gun Maverick a few months back.

    It’ll be interesting to see if the viewership also carries over into the film’s actual release. These numbers tend to hint at where the project will end up performing, which hopefully is a sign that Disney+ is starting to find its base with more audiences. Marvel and Star Wars will remain their cornerstone, but Disney may finally realize that their IP pockets are much deeper and far more diverse moving forward.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Hocus Pocus 2’: Doug Jones Shares Closer Look at New Billy Butcherson Design

    ‘Hocus Pocus 2’: Doug Jones Shares Closer Look at New Billy Butcherson Design

    Just yesterday, executive producer Adam Shankman revealed that the Halloween classic revival of Hocus Pocus has just finished production. The project will see the return of the original Sanderson sisters, Bette Milder, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimiy. Yet, they aren’t the only ones as Doug Jones is also making his return as the zombie Billy Butcherson. Outside of a single set photo of the sisters flying, we sadly never got a good look at his updated take on the character. Luckily, as production has wrapped, the actor has shared a closer look on his Twitter featuring him in full Butcherson make-up.

    https://twitter.com/actordougjones/status/1488583087168516099

    It certainly looks like they stuck to his original design for the most part. He’s wearing a jacket that hides the rest of his costume, but it does seem like it is mostly the same as the original. The best part of the costume is that he once again gets to do a practical mask to bring the zombie to life, which is a perfect way to pay tribute to the original. Jones is famous for his work on bringing various monsters to life through practical prosthetics and it’s great to see him return to one of the roles that put him on the map.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Has Wrapped Production

    ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Has Wrapped Production

    Disney+ has been busy reviving cult classic franchises. Among them is a sequel to Hocus Pocus, which will see the return of Bette Milder, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy in their iconic roles, as they once again start haunting Salem. A new group of teenagers, played by Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, and Belissa Escobedo, will take on the sisters. Doug Jones is also set to return as Billy Butcherson. It looks like the production has wrapped, as revealed by executive producer Adam Shankman in a new Instagram post.

    We did get a set video of the Sanderson sisters taking flight back in November, but nothing else has found its way online. The last entry was filmed back in 1993 and it’ll be interesting to see how they handle the time difference since the events of the original. It’ll also be interesting to see what has happened to the mysterious black candle since the events of the original. Either it remained forgotten in the attic of an unsuspecting family, or perhaps it has found its home in a museum. Whatever happened to it, teenagers are about to light a candle they will surely regret.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Hocus Pocus’ Sequel Eyeing Fall 2022 Release on Disney+ as it Rounds Out its Cast

    ‘Hocus Pocus’ Sequel Eyeing Fall 2022 Release on Disney+ as it Rounds Out its Cast

    Disney has long wanted to bring back the iconic Hocus Pocus film. A staple for many people’s Halloween, it was surprising that the House of Mouse waited this long before they’d greenlight a sequel. After all this time, it has finally happened as we got our first tease for the upcoming second entry and a confirmation that the Sanderson sisters will make a return. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy will return in their iconic roles.

    Of course, they’ll get joined by some familiar faces which include Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, Hannah Waddingham, Juju Brener, Froy Guiterrez, Taylor Henderson, and Nina Kitchen. Doug Jones is also set to return as Billy Butcherson in the upcoming sequel. The new entry is eyeing a Fall 2022 release on Disney’s streaming service. While I mentioned previously it’s surprising they didn’t create a sequel, it was a box office bomb at the time. Millenials revived the franchise later on as it skyrocketed in popularity.

    It’ll be interesting to see how they revive this franchise and stick to the set-up from the original. There’s always a chance that they’ll try to twist some of our understanding from the original franchise to add something unique to the story. Disney+ has become the home to various returning franchises such as Turner and Hooch, as well as the upcoming release of a new Home Alone entry. It’ll be interesting to see what other iconic franchises may make a return at some point.

    Source: Twitter