Hocus Pocus was originally released in the summer of 1993 and although it was considered a flop at the box office, as the years went by it started to find it's footing, popularity grew (mainly through word of mouth) and 29 years later we were finally treated to the long awaited sequel.
Hocus Pocus 2 (also known as Abracadabra 2) was released on September 30th 2022 excluively on Disney+ and at the time of release, was the most watched movie ever on the streaming service. The sequel also broke a Nielsen streaming record for being watched over 2.7 billion minutes during its debut weekend.
It was nominated for multiple awards including 3 Prime Time Emmy awards for Outstanding Television Movie, Outstanding Fantasy/Sci Fi Costumes (Salvador Pérez Jr) and Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) for John Debney's score.
First talk of a potential sequel happening occurred in 2013 at the D23 20th Anniversary event held at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Writer, producer and created David Kirschner stated that there had been talks of a sequel with Disney, but as of yet nothing was set in stone.
Hocus Pocus 2 (also known as Abracadabra 2) was released on September 30th 2022 excluively on Disney+ and at the time of release, was the most watched movie ever on the streaming service. The sequel also broke a Nielsen streaming record for being watched over 2.7 billion minutes during its debut weekend.
It was nominated for multiple awards including 3 Prime Time Emmy awards for Outstanding Television Movie, Outstanding Fantasy/Sci Fi Costumes (Salvador Pérez Jr) and Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) for John Debney's score.
First talk of a potential sequel happening occurred in 2013 at the D23 20th Anniversary event held at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Writer, producer and created David Kirschner stated that there had been talks of a sequel with Disney, but as of yet nothing was set in stone.
Only a year later in 2014, The Tracking Board exclusively revealed that Disney was in the early stages of production for a sequel and it was going to be called Hocus Pocus 2: Rise of the Elderwitch. It would focus on a witch hunter who teams up with a magical housewife to stop a power-hungry evil witch. The lead was apparently going to be Tina Fey or Melissa McCarthy and both were rumoured to also be producing the film.
Tina Fey debunked this rumour herself, who confirmed that a witch film was indeed in the works, but it was not a sequel to Hocus Pocus. Instead the film she was working on was intended to be in a similar style to Ghostbusters. Although debunked, the film Tina Fey did state was in production, was never made.
In the same year Bette Midler took part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything and stated that herself, Kathy and Sarah would all love to return. She asked fans to “Inundate the Disney company” with requests as she had no say in the sequel but then in November of the following year (2015), during a Facebook Q&A, she stated that "After all these years and all the fan demand, I do believe I can stand and firmly say an unequivocal no" to the possibility of a sequel.
Tina Fey debunked this rumour herself, who confirmed that a witch film was indeed in the works, but it was not a sequel to Hocus Pocus. Instead the film she was working on was intended to be in a similar style to Ghostbusters. Although debunked, the film Tina Fey did state was in production, was never made.
In the same year Bette Midler took part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything and stated that herself, Kathy and Sarah would all love to return. She asked fans to “Inundate the Disney company” with requests as she had no say in the sequel but then in November of the following year (2015), during a Facebook Q&A, she stated that "After all these years and all the fan demand, I do believe I can stand and firmly say an unequivocal no" to the possibility of a sequel.
Image credit: Getty Images/Michael Loccisano
In 2016 Doug Jones stated during a Movie Fights episode from Youtube channel Screen Junkies that “there might be a part two in the works at Disney Studios, I might have heard wind of this, I don’t know. Would I come back as Billy Butcherson again? Abso-fricken-lutely I would”. He also mentioned that all of the cast are still alive and ready and willing to do a part two. “The fans are begging for it, wanting it, demanding it, hoping for it, praying for it”.
Sarah Jessica Parker was also asked by Andy Cohen about a potential sequel and stated that “I would love that. I think we’ve been very vocal that we’re very keen”. In the same year, Bette Midler also returned as Winifred Sanderson for her 2016 Hulaween event, where she dressed as her character.
Sarah Jessica Parker was also asked by Andy Cohen about a potential sequel and stated that “I would love that. I think we’ve been very vocal that we’re very keen”. In the same year, Bette Midler also returned as Winifred Sanderson for her 2016 Hulaween event, where she dressed as her character.
Rumours of a made-for-tv movie were once again making their way across the internet in 2017. When asked by Forbes whether a sequel was in the works Mick Garris stated “There have been rumours of a Hocus Pocus sequel for the last 10 years that will not die. I have heard they are developing the script. I haven't been involved in it but I think there will be a sequel, it might be for Disney Channel or Freeform or ABC. I think it will be for television but I hear that it is moving ahead.” He also mentioned that he wrote the script for the original Hocus Pocus 8 years before it was released and it wasn’t until Bette Midler showed interest that the film was fast tracked into production, as Bette was at a very high time in her career.
When asked about the cast returning, he didn’t confirm but did say that “It would be a big mistake” to not have them all return “as they are all still so incredibly potent and powerful and great performers and who else can recreate those characters?"
Two Days later after the interview was published it was confirmed that Disney were indeed working on a new movie but it would be a Disney Channel remake. The film would be written by Scarlett Lacey and would be produced by David Kirschner. A rep for Disney stated the film would be “a new iteration” of the story. When the rumours of a remake was first making waves on the internet, fans were not happy with the possibility of a remake and the witches being recast.
Only a month later Bette Midler revealed to People that she thinks the sequel is going to be cheap. “I know it’s cheap. It’s going to be cheap!”. When asked about her character she said “I’m not sure what they’re going to do with my character. My character is very, very broad and I don’t know who they’re going to find to play that”. She was also asked if she would return for the “right dollar amount” and replied with a simple “no, no, no”.
When asked about the cast returning, he didn’t confirm but did say that “It would be a big mistake” to not have them all return “as they are all still so incredibly potent and powerful and great performers and who else can recreate those characters?"
Two Days later after the interview was published it was confirmed that Disney were indeed working on a new movie but it would be a Disney Channel remake. The film would be written by Scarlett Lacey and would be produced by David Kirschner. A rep for Disney stated the film would be “a new iteration” of the story. When the rumours of a remake was first making waves on the internet, fans were not happy with the possibility of a remake and the witches being recast.
Only a month later Bette Midler revealed to People that she thinks the sequel is going to be cheap. “I know it’s cheap. It’s going to be cheap!”. When asked about her character she said “I’m not sure what they’re going to do with my character. My character is very, very broad and I don’t know who they’re going to find to play that”. She was also asked if she would return for the “right dollar amount” and replied with a simple “no, no, no”.
After 25 years a sequel to Hocus Pocus was finally released… just not in the form everyone was hoping. Although still a great book, Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel is written by A. W Jantha and was released July 10th 2018, almost exactly 25 years after the films original release.
This sequel follows Poppy, Max and Allison’s seventeen-year-old daughter who doesn’t believe the story of the Sanderson Sisters that her parents have told her over the years and tries to prove there is nothing to their story. The book does features heaps of returning characters but received mixed reviews. The book also contains an almost scene to scene novelisation of the first movie too.
October 2019, Collider exclusively reveals that there is indeed a sequel in the works and it's rumoured to be for Disney+. Jen D'Angelo is set to write the script with Adam Shankman signed on to direct (although he was later replaced by Anne Fletcher in April 2021).
During Bette Midler's Hulaween Gala in New York, Bette was once again asked about a sequel and said “Oh my goodness me. Oh, I hope they get to me before I’m a corpse. We wanna fly again. I hope Disney+ is a big success and I hope we get to do it, because Winifred is of course one of my favourite characters… I can’t wait to read the script. We’re gonna see what happens.”
At the same event Kathy Najimy was also asked about the sequel and said: “I heard about it online the same time as everyone else. But here’s the honest answer. Sarah and Bette and I all have a million projects and things that we’re into, so I don’t know if they’re gonna offer us roles. I don’t know if the worlds are going to collide so that we could all three do it at the same time. But I’m happy that it’s happening, because the fans are really rabid and they really want it. If we’re not all available to star in it, I think it would be so great to do a cameo. I think that’d be really fun”.
A fan also asked SJP about the sequel on Instagram and she replied “We have all said yes. Now we wait.”
This sequel follows Poppy, Max and Allison’s seventeen-year-old daughter who doesn’t believe the story of the Sanderson Sisters that her parents have told her over the years and tries to prove there is nothing to their story. The book does features heaps of returning characters but received mixed reviews. The book also contains an almost scene to scene novelisation of the first movie too.
October 2019, Collider exclusively reveals that there is indeed a sequel in the works and it's rumoured to be for Disney+. Jen D'Angelo is set to write the script with Adam Shankman signed on to direct (although he was later replaced by Anne Fletcher in April 2021).
During Bette Midler's Hulaween Gala in New York, Bette was once again asked about a sequel and said “Oh my goodness me. Oh, I hope they get to me before I’m a corpse. We wanna fly again. I hope Disney+ is a big success and I hope we get to do it, because Winifred is of course one of my favourite characters… I can’t wait to read the script. We’re gonna see what happens.”
At the same event Kathy Najimy was also asked about the sequel and said: “I heard about it online the same time as everyone else. But here’s the honest answer. Sarah and Bette and I all have a million projects and things that we’re into, so I don’t know if they’re gonna offer us roles. I don’t know if the worlds are going to collide so that we could all three do it at the same time. But I’m happy that it’s happening, because the fans are really rabid and they really want it. If we’re not all available to star in it, I think it would be so great to do a cameo. I think that’d be really fun”.
A fan also asked SJP about the sequel on Instagram and she replied “We have all said yes. Now we wait.”
Hocus Pocus 2 was officially announced during Disney’s Investor Day December 10th 2020. A new logo was revealed along with confirmation that it would be released exclusively on Disney+. At the time no cast was confirmed to be returning but rumours had already been circling for months. It’s production had also been leaked months before Investors Day but never officially confirmed. At the same time a sequel to Enchanted and Sister Act were also revealed.
Production was originally scheduled to begin in the Summer of 2021 and would once again be filmed in Salem, however this was later changed to Rhode Island.
In May 2021 Disney officially revealed on social media that the original Sanderson Sisters would be returning via three tweets from each cast member. The film was also stated to be released in 2022.
Production was originally scheduled to begin in the Summer of 2021 and would once again be filmed in Salem, however this was later changed to Rhode Island.
In May 2021 Disney officially revealed on social media that the original Sanderson Sisters would be returning via three tweets from each cast member. The film was also stated to be released in 2022.
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On Halloween 2021 Disney once again announced Bette, Kathy and SJP would be returning and would be joined by new faces “which you soon will learn” Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Doug Jones, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Hannah Waddingham, Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez, Taylor Paige Henderson, and Nina Kitchen
were all officially announced. The announcement came in the form of a short teaser video featuring the Black Flame Candle. A cat can also be heard in the background of the video, leading many to speculate that we would see the return of Thackery Binx. Filming finally began October 18th 2021 in Providence Rhode Island under the working title of Black Flame. The flashback scenes featuring the young Sanderson Sisters in 1600's Salem were filmed at Chase Farm and the Providence Armoury was also used for filming too. |
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Filming in Newport began on November 8th 2021, with the Salem Scare Fest and Sanderson Sisters House being built (although only the ground floor of the house was built, with the second floor and roof being added digitally). Our first glimpse of Bette, Sarah and Kathy in their full Sanderson Sisters outfits was shared to the official Hocus Pocus Facebook page on November 12th 2021.
Bette Midler announced via her X page that filming had official wrapped on January 27th 2022 and only a day later producer Adam Shankman shared on his Instagram that filming had also wrapped and that the film would be "Coming to you Halloween 2022." This lead many to believe that the release date for the sequel was October 31st 2022.
Test screenings were held in May 2022, with high praise being received for the film and in the same month Disney officially revealed during their upfront's presentation that Hocus Pocus would be released September 30th 2022.
On the 3rd of June John Debney officially confirmed he would be returning to once again conduct and create the score for Hocus Pocus 2 via a Facebook post. A small number of reshoots also took place in June. These reshoots were filmed in New York and were mainly due to some of the feedback given during the early screenings.
On June 28th the first teaser trailer was released via Good Morning America and then made it's way online via official Disney channels and the Hocus Pocus Facebook page. The teaser trailer received over 43 million views within the first 24 hours of release and the hashtag #HocusPocus was the top trending hashtag for days following it's release. The teaser revealed a first look at new characters Becca, Izzy and Cassie, along with Gilbert and his cat Cobweb. The end reveals Bette, Kathy and Sarah as the Sanderson Sisters. An instrumental version of Come Little Children can be heard throughout and we also see the new Black Flame Candle. The teaser has a runtime of 1 minute 20 seconds.
The first official poster for Hocus Pocus 2 was also released online which featured silhouettes of the Sanderson Sisters.
Test screenings were held in May 2022, with high praise being received for the film and in the same month Disney officially revealed during their upfront's presentation that Hocus Pocus would be released September 30th 2022.
On the 3rd of June John Debney officially confirmed he would be returning to once again conduct and create the score for Hocus Pocus 2 via a Facebook post. A small number of reshoots also took place in June. These reshoots were filmed in New York and were mainly due to some of the feedback given during the early screenings.
On June 28th the first teaser trailer was released via Good Morning America and then made it's way online via official Disney channels and the Hocus Pocus Facebook page. The teaser trailer received over 43 million views within the first 24 hours of release and the hashtag #HocusPocus was the top trending hashtag for days following it's release. The teaser revealed a first look at new characters Becca, Izzy and Cassie, along with Gilbert and his cat Cobweb. The end reveals Bette, Kathy and Sarah as the Sanderson Sisters. An instrumental version of Come Little Children can be heard throughout and we also see the new Black Flame Candle. The teaser has a runtime of 1 minute 20 seconds.
The first official poster for Hocus Pocus 2 was also released online which featured silhouettes of the Sanderson Sisters.
On August 29th 2022, the first image of Doug Jones back as Billy Butcherson was exclusively revealed by Entertainment Weekly.
The following day on August 30th another poster was released and this time the poster revealed the Sanderson Sisters in full.
On September 9th 2022 the full trailer was finally released by Disney. The new trailer revealed even more new characters including the young Sanderson Sisters, Hannah Waddingham's 'Mother Witch' Mayor/Reverend Trask and our first footage of Billy Butcherson. The new trailer runs for a total of 1 minute and 56 seconds long.
With the release of Hocus Pocus 2 only weeks away, marketing began to increase massively, with the first clip of the Sanderson Sisters in a Walgreens being released on September 14th and more new clips and tv spots being released every few days. Babybel, Walgreens, Kelloggs, Swiffer and many more companies released exclusive products in partnership with the film also. The official Hocus Pocus Instagram and X account also held a fan art contest, in which the winner would win a trip to premiere.
The world premiere of Hocus Pocus 2 took place on September 27th 2022 in New York. The films cast and crew attended and the film was shown on the big screen. Three days later, on September 30th, Hocus Pocus 2 was finally released on Disney+ after a 29 year wait.
The following day on August 30th another poster was released and this time the poster revealed the Sanderson Sisters in full.
On September 9th 2022 the full trailer was finally released by Disney. The new trailer revealed even more new characters including the young Sanderson Sisters, Hannah Waddingham's 'Mother Witch' Mayor/Reverend Trask and our first footage of Billy Butcherson. The new trailer runs for a total of 1 minute and 56 seconds long.
With the release of Hocus Pocus 2 only weeks away, marketing began to increase massively, with the first clip of the Sanderson Sisters in a Walgreens being released on September 14th and more new clips and tv spots being released every few days. Babybel, Walgreens, Kelloggs, Swiffer and many more companies released exclusive products in partnership with the film also. The official Hocus Pocus Instagram and X account also held a fan art contest, in which the winner would win a trip to premiere.
The world premiere of Hocus Pocus 2 took place on September 27th 2022 in New York. The films cast and crew attended and the film was shown on the big screen. Three days later, on September 30th, Hocus Pocus 2 was finally released on Disney+ after a 29 year wait.
