Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Neil Cuthbert and Mick Garris. The film follows a villainous comedic trio of witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) who are inadvertently resurrected by a virgin teenage boy (Omri Katz) in Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween night. A sequel was written by Jen D'Angelo, directed by Anne Fletcher and it is set for release on September 30, 2022, as a Disney+ original film.
IMDb SYNOPSIS: A curious youngster moves to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.
BOX OFFICE RELEASE: The film was released in the United States on July 16, 1993, by Walt Disney Pictures. Upon its release, it received mixed to negative reviews from film critics and was not a box office success, possibly losing Disney around $16.5 million during its theatrical run. However, largely through many annual airings on Disney Channel and Freeform (formerly ABC Family) all throughout the month of October annually, Hocus Pocus has been rediscovered by audiences, resulting in a yearly spike in home video sales of the film every Halloween season. The annual celebration of Halloween has helped make this film a cult classic.
VHS/LASERDISC/DVD/BLU-RAY/4KUHD RELEASE: The film was released to VHS and LaserDisc in North America on January 5, 1994 and later to DVD on June 4, 2002. Following the film's release on DVD, it has continued to show strong annual sales, raking in more than $1 million in DVD sales each October. In the mid-to-late 1990s, the film was rebroadcast annually on ABC and Disney Channel before switching over to ABC Family's 13 Nights of Halloween lineup in the early 2000s. The film has continuously brought record viewing numbers to the lineup, including a 2009 broadcast watched by 2.5 million viewers. In 2011, an October 29 airing became the lineup's most watched program, with 2.8 million viewers. On September 4, 2012, the film was released on Blu-ray. Disney re-released the film on Blu-ray and Digital HD on September 2, 2018, as part of the film's 25th anniversary. The new release contains special features, including deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes retrospective. On 15 September 2020, the film was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray in 4K resolution with HDR.
MY REVIEW: Tried watching when I was a teenager couldn't finish it. Didn't watch the full film until I was an adult. It's good. If you never saw it, it's probably playing on Freeform right now (for the 200th time)! I rate it 3 out of 4 jack o lanterns, Good:
