Hocus Pocus (franchise)

300 years ago, in 1693, in Salem, Massachusetts, the Sanderson sisters were hanged by the population of Salem after a boy named Thackery Binx tried to stop the witches and was turned into an immortal black cat while saving his sister Emily. Before they die, Winifred (the oldest of the sisters) casts a spell stating they will return when a virgin lights a black candle in their house. In the present day, 1993, a newcomer from Los Angeles, California, Max, is bullied at school by two bullies, and has a crush on his schoolmate Allison. On Halloween night, his parents force him to go trick-or-treating with his sister Dani while they go to a party. Max and Dani stumbles upon the house of Allison and decide to go to the house of the Sanderson sisters. While at the house, Max lights a black candle and brings back Winifred, along with her sisters Sarah and Mary Sanderson. The sisters have but one night to suck the essence of the children of Salem and survive for more than one night before sunrise. But Max, Allison, and Dani want to avoid their wish to come true, so they team up with a 300-year-old cat and Winifred's lover, Billy Butcherson, to save the day.

In 1653, in Salem, the teenage Winifred Sanderson is banned from the village by the local Reverend Traske after refusing to get married with John Pritchett. After causing havoc in the town, she runs with sister Sarah and Mary to a forbidden forest. There, they meet the Witch Mother and gives Winifred a magic spell book. In the present day, 29 years after the events of the first film, in 2022, an aspirant witch named Becca is celebrating her 16th birthday with her friend Izzy. When the owner of a magic store named Gilbert gives a magic black candle to Becca for her birthday, she goes to the forest with Izzy along with their other friend Cassie and they summon the Sanderson sisters. Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson return to seek children to eat and plan revenge against Reverend Traske's descendants. The trio must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world.

In late February 2023, Bette Midler, who plays Winifred Sanderson in the film, appeared on the red carpet at the Costume Designers Guild Awards and was asked about a possibility of a third film by E! News, stating, "I'm not sure. Everything is weird. I don't know, maybe. Who knows?"[1][2]

In July 2018, a book entitled Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel was released, containing a novelization of film and a sequel story. The sequel focuses of Max and Allison's daughter, Poppy, who grew up hearing the family story of the original film and parents who avoid Halloween as much as possible. Poppy is skeptical of the tale and ends up in the Sanderson house on Halloween, 25 years to the day the original film takes place, in an attempt to prove there is nothing to the story.[3]

On October 20, 2018, a special entitled Hocus Pocus 25th Anniversary Birthday Bash aired on Freeform. The special featured interviews with members of the cast, including Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy, as well as a costume contest hosted by Sharon and Kelly Osbourne. It was filmed at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.[4][5]

Since 2009, the song from the first film, I Put a Spell on You (which was originally written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins), plays as the exit music for the fireworks show Halloween Screams during Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland.

On September 15, 2015, the Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular was introduced at the Magic Kingdom as part of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World. The show introduces new actresses as the Sanderson sisters who try to make a villain party and summon or attract various Disney villains in the process.[7]

In 2009, during ABC Family's (now Freeform) 13 Nights of Halloween lineup, a broadcast of the first film garnered 2.5 million viewers.[25] In 2011, an October 29 airing became the lineup's most watched program, garnering 2.8 million viewers.[26] In 2018, the lineup, now known as 31 Nights of Halloween, during its 25th anniversary year, the first week of Hocus Pocus viewings garnered 8.2 million viewers.[27]

According to Whip Media, Hocus Pocus was the most watched movie across all platforms in the United States, during the week of October 31, 2021.[28] According to Whip Media, Hocus Pocus was the 2nd most watched movie across all platforms in the United States during the week of September 30, 2022 to October 2, 2022,[29][30] the 7th during the week of October 9, 2022,[31][32] and the 9th during the week of October 23, 2022.[33]

In October 2022, Disney+ reported Hocus Pocus 2 was the service's most-viewed-film premiere in the United States, based on the number of hours streamed in the first three days of its release.[34][35][36] Disney later reported that Hocus Pocus 2 was the service's most-viewed film.[37][38]

According to Whip Media, Hocus Pocus 2 was the 2nd most anticipated film of September 2022,[39] the most watched straight-to-streaming title of 2022 in its first three days,[37] as of October 2022,[40][41] the most watched film across all platforms in the United States, during the week of September 30, 2022 to October 2, 2022,[29][30] the 2nd during the week of October 9, 2022,[31][32] the 4th during the week of October 23, 2022,[33] as well as the 4th during the week of October 30, 2022,[42] and the 9th during the week of November 4, 2022 to November 6, 2022.[43] According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, Hocus Pocus 2 was the most watched program across all platforms, during the weeks of October 5, 2022 and October 14, 2022.[44]