''Hocus Pocus 2'' is a 2022 American
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Anne Fletcher
Anne Fletcher (born May 1, 1966) is an American choreographer, film director, dancer and actress. She directed the films '' Step Up'' (2006), ''27 Dresses'' (2008) and ''The Proposal (2009 film), The Proposal'' (2009).
Early life
Born Anne Marie ...
, written by Jen D'Angelo and produced by
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...
. A
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to the 1993 film ''
Hocus Pocus'', it stars
Bette Midler
Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...
,
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...
,
Kathy Najimy
Kathy Ann Najimy ( ; ar, كاثي ان نجيمي ; born February 6, 1957) is an American actress and activist. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Soapdish'' (1991), ''Sister Act'' (1992), '' Hocus Pocus'' (1993), ''Hope Floats'' (1 ...
, and
Doug Jones reprising their roles, with
Sam Richardson,
Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo,
Tony Hale
Anthony Russell Hale (born September 30, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his role in the Fox comedy series ''Arrested Development'' as Buster Bluth. Hale played Gary Walsh on the HBO comedy ''Veep'' from 2012 until its ...
, and
Hannah Waddingham
Hannah Waddingham (born 28 July 1974) is a British actress and singer. She is best known for playing Rebecca Welton in the comedy series ''Ted Lasso'' (2020–present), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actres ...
joining the cast in new roles.
Filming took place from October 2021 to January 2022 in
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, replacing
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...
. It was released on
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
on September 30, 2022.
The film received mixed reviews, praising the cast performances, humor, and nostalgia, but criticized the plot.
Plot
In 1653
Salem, Reverend Traske banishes a young Winifred Sanderson after she defied church authority by refusing to marry John Pritchett. Rather than allow her sisters, Mary and Sarah, be taken from her, Winifred escapes with them to a nearby forbidden forest. There they meet Mother Witch who gifts Winifred her magic book for her sixteenth birthday but explicitly warns the sisters against casting a spell known as the ''Magicae Maxima'', which makes the user all powerful. Mother Witch also teaches the sisters to retain their youthfulness by killing children.
In 2022, twenty-nine years after the Sanderson sisters were resurrected by the Black Flame Candle, Salem teenagers Becca and Izzy prepare to celebrate both Halloween and Becca's sixteenth birthday but turn down a party invitation from their estranged friend, Cassie Traske. Becca and Izzy visit a magic shop (formerly the Sanderson cottage) run by Gilbert, who gifts Becca a candle for their annual birthday ritual. The girls light the candle and discover that it is another Black Flame Candle. As there is a full moon and the girls are both virgins, the candle resurrects the Sanderson sisters once again. The girls outwit the sisters in a local
Walgreens
Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, an ...
and escape to the magic shop where they discover that Gilbert tricked them into reviving the witches, having seen them on Halloween in 1993 and been taught how to make the candle by Book.
The sisters catch up to the girls and see a campaign flyer belonging to Mayor Jefry Traske, Cassie's father and Reverend Traske's descendant. Winifred decides they will cast the ''Magicae Maxima'' spell to eliminate him and take revenge on Salem. The sisters trap Izzy and Becca in the basement and leave to hunt down Traske, whose blood is needed to complete the spell. They force Gilbert to collect the other ingredients.
The girls escape and head to the Traske house to warn the mayor while the sisters find their way to the town's Halloween carnival and enchant the citizens to help them find the mayor. Meanwhile, Gilbert digs up Billy Butcherson, who has been awake but entombed since 1993. He needs Billy's head for the spell but tricks him into helping him collect the other ingredients first. The girls reunite with Cassie and trap the sisters within a salt circle in Cassie's garage before Mayor Traske returns home. The three teens make amends with one another, but their reunion is interrupted when the sisters escape the circle and kidnap Cassie to use her blood instead. Becca and Izzy follow them to the forbidden forest where Gilbert has assembled the ingredients and soon discover that Becca is also a witch.
The sisters partially cast the spell and increase their power, but Becca distracts them while Izzy rescues Cassie. Becca convinces the Book that it does not have to answer to Winifred, and she and the Book flee further into the forest. The Book shows them a warning about the ''Magicae Maxima'' spell, stating that whoever casts it must give up what they cherish most. The girls agree to warn Winifred of the price of the spell but are too late: she becomes all powerful as Mary and Sarah fade to dust. Winifred grows despondent and begs the teenagers to use their newfound powers to save her sisters. While they cannot save them, Becca, Cassie and Izzy join together in a coven and cast a reuniting spell, so Winifred happily fades away to be reunited with her sisters.
Gilbert and Billy join the girls. Billy starts to fade away, realizing that all of Winifred's spells have been undone and relieved to finally head to his eternal rest. The girls decide to give Book a new home and continue practicing their magic as they walk off into the night in a similar manner as the Sanderson sisters. As they leave, a crow, identical to the one that Mother Witch had shapeshifted into, flies overhead.
Cast
*
Bette Midler
Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...
as Winifred Sanderson, the oldest of the three Sanderson sisters. Winifred loves to sing. Her signature magical ability is electrokinesis, but she has extensive knowledge of dark magic thanks to her prized sentient spell book. As the leader of the trio, Winifred is often frustrated by her younger sisters' incompetence.
** Taylor Paige Henderson as young Winifred Sanderson
*
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...
as Sarah Sanderson, the youngest of the three Sanderson sisters. Sarah's magical gift is a hypnotic siren call, which she uses through her song "Come Little Children". Her immature, lusty, and often airheaded nature exasperates Winifred.
** Juju Brener as young Sarah Sanderson
*
Kathy Najimy
Kathy Ann Najimy ( ; ar, كاثي ان نجيمي ; born February 6, 1957) is an American actress and activist. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Soapdish'' (1991), ''Sister Act'' (1992), '' Hocus Pocus'' (1993), ''Hope Floats'' (1 ...
as Mary Sanderson, the middle of the three Sanderson sisters. Mary has the magical ability to track children with an enhanced sense of smell. She looks up to her elder sister, Winifred, and
constantly seeks her approval.
** Nina Kitchen as young Mary Sanderson
*
Sam Richardson as Gilbert, the owner of the Olde Salem Magic Shoppe, the former home of the Sanderson Sisters. Having witnessed the sisters' initial defeat in 1993, he subsequently sought out to facilitate their eventual return.
** Jaylin Pryor as teen Gilbert
*
Doug Jones as William "Billy" Butcherson, a former love interest of Winifred. She spitefully poisoned him on May 1, 1693, when she caught him with her sister Sarah. He is raised from the dead as a zombie. However, Billy reveals he only shared one kiss with Winifred and did not reciprocate her feelings for him in their youth as previously believed.
** Austin J. Ryan as young William "Billy" Butcherson
*
Whitney Peak as Becca, a high school student and aspiring witch who accidentally conjures the Sanderson Sisters on her 16th birthday.
* Belissa Escobedo as Izzy, Becca's quirky best friend. She accidentally conjures the Sanderson Sisters with Becca.
*
Tony Hale
Anthony Russell Hale (born September 30, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his role in the Fox comedy series ''Arrested Development'' as Buster Bluth. Hale played Gary Walsh on the HBO comedy ''Veep'' from 2012 until its ...
as Jefry Traske, the Mayor of Salem and father of Cassie.
** Hale also played Reverend Traske, Jefry and Cassie's ancestor from the Sanderson Sisters' past, who is also responsible for the Sisters becoming evil witches.
*
Hannah Waddingham
Hannah Waddingham (born 28 July 1974) is a British actress and singer. She is best known for playing Rebecca Welton in the comedy series ''Ted Lasso'' (2020–present), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actres ...
as the Mother Witch, a mysterious and sinister witch who gifts the spell book to the young Sanderson Sisters.
*
Lilia Buckingham
Lilia Buckingham (born April 9, 2003) is an American Internet personality, actress, dancer, author, and producer.
Early life and education
Buckingham was born and raised in Beverly Hills, to Jane (née Rinzler) and Marcus Buckingham. She has ...
as Cassie Traske, the Mayor's daughter and an estranged popular friend of Becca and Izzy. She helps Becca to stop the Sanderson Sisters.
*
Froy Gutierrez
Froylan Gutierrez III (born April 27, 1998) is an American actor and singer, known for playing Nolan Holloway in ''Teen Wolf'' and Jamie Henson in '' Cruel Summer''.
Early life
Gutierrez was born and raised in Highland Park, Texas and attended B ...
as Mike, Cassie's inept boyfriend who offends Becca and Izzy.
*
Ginger Minj
Joshua Allen Eads, stage name Ginger Minj (born September 11, 1984), an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, and reality television personality. After achieving recognition for placing as the runner-up on the seventh season of the real ...
,
Kornbread Jeté
Kornbread Jeté, also known as Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté or simply Kornbread, is the stage name of Demoria Elise Williams (born January 14, 1992), an American drag queen. She is known for competing on season 14 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' in 2022 ...
, and
Kahmora Hall
Kahmora Hall (born September 13, 1991) is the stage name of Paul Tran, a drag performer most known for competing on season 13 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''.
Career
Kahmora Hall was the first contestant eliminated from season 13 of ''RuPaul's Drag ...
as
drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...
s impersonating Winifred, Mary, and Sarah, respectively, during a contest.
Amanda Shepherd,
Garry Marshall
Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American filmmaker and actor. He started his career in the 1960s writing for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' before he developed Neil Simon's 1965 play ''The Odd Co ...
, and
Penny Marshall
Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She is known for her role as ...
make uncredited appearances as Emily Binx, Master Devil, and Medusa Lady through archive footage from the first film. Additionally, three
stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup.
Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production.
Stand-ins a ...
extras portrayed Max Dennison, Dani Dennison and Allison Watts, the three protagonists of the first film, originally portrayed by
Omri Katz
Omri Haim Katz (born May 30, 1976) is a retired American actor. His television and film credits include ''Eerie Indiana'', ''Matinee (1993 film), Matinee'', ''Adventures in Dinosaur City'', ''Hocus Pocus (1993 film), Hocus Pocus'', and the soap o ...
,
Thora Birch
Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress and producer. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in ''Purple People Eater'', for which she received a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years ...
and
Vinessa Shaw
Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw (born July 19, 1976) is an American film actress and model. She began her career as a child actor, and had her breakout role in Disney's 1993 Halloween comedy-fantasy film '' Hocus Pocus''. Shaw also appeared in ''Ladybu ...
, in a flashback sequence narrated by Gilbert to The Sanderson Sisters.
Production
Development
In July 2014, it was announced that
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
was developing a supernatural-themed film about witches, and that
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
was on board as a producer and star. However, ''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'' debunked rumors that the film was a sequel to ''
Hocus Pocus''. In November 2014, Bette Midler said in a ''
Reddit
Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, images ...
'' "Ask Me Anything" that she was ready and willing to return for a sequel as Winifred Sanderson. She also said her co-stars
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...
and
Kathy Najimy
Kathy Ann Najimy ( ; ar, كاثي ان نجيمي ; born February 6, 1957) is an American actress and activist. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Soapdish'' (1991), ''Sister Act'' (1992), '' Hocus Pocus'' (1993), ''Hope Floats'' (1 ...
were interested in reprising the roles of Sarah and Mary Sanderson as well, but stressed that Disney had yet to greenlight any sequel, encouraging fans of the original film to persuade Disney to make one. In November 2015, Midler stated in a
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
Q&A that "after all these years and all the fan demand, I do believe I can stand and firmly say an unequivocal no" in response to a question about a sequel.
In June 2016, actor
Doug Jones mentioned that Disney had been considering a sequel, and behind the scenes discussions were in place to possibly continue the series. In October 2016, while promoting her
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
show ''
Divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
'', Sarah Jessica Parker was asked by
Andy Cohen
Andrew Joseph Cohen (born June 2, 1968) is an American radio and television talk show host, producer, and writer.
Cohen is the host and executive producer of Bravo's late night talk show, '' Watch What Happens Live!'' He also has a pop culture ...
about a sequel. Her response was "I would love that. I think we've been very vocal that we're very keen", yet she insisted that fans should encourage Disney to develop a sequel. In ''Hocus Pocus in Focus: The Thinking Fan's Guide to Disney's Halloween Classic,'' author Aaron Wallace identifies several potential approaches for a sequel, but notes that the project's biggest challenge is the Walt Disney Studios' interest in tentpole projects that promise very high box office returns.
In September 2017, ''Hocus Pocus'' writer
Mick Garris
Mick Garris (born December 4, 1951) is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, as well as making Stephen King adaptations.
Early life
Garris was born in Sant ...
admitted that he was working on a script for ''Hocus Pocus 2'' after years of rumors and speculation and that it would potentially be developed as a television film for
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
,
Freeform or
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
. It was later confirmed that it would be instead a remake to air on Freeform, with ''
The Royals'' writer Scarlett Lacey attached to write and the original film producer
David Kirschner
David Maxwell Kirschner (born May 29, 1955) is an American film & television producer and screenwriter. His producing credits include the animated feature ''An American Tail'' (also wrote) and '' Child's Play'' horror film series.
Career
Afte ...
executive producing, with original director
Kenny Ortega
Kenneth John Ortega (born April 18, 1950) is an American filmmaker, touring manager, and choreographer. He is known for directing the films '' Newsies'', '' Hocus Pocus'', ''The Cheetah Girls 2'', ''High School Musical'', ''Michael Jackson's Th ...
not expected to be involved. The following month, Midler said she was not fond of the idea of a remake and she would not be taking part in it regardless she was offered some kind of role or not, expressing doubts on how they would be able to successfully recast her role as Winifred Sanderson.
In February 2018, Jones revealed that there had been talks to do a sequel set twenty years after the original film and that he was approached to be involved on it, though he admitted that he was still interested on reprising his role as Billy Butcherson. In July 2018, a book titled ''Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel'' was released, containing a novelization of the film and a sequel story. The sequel focuses on 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, twenty-five years to the day after the movie, in an attempt to prove there is nothing to the story.
In October 2019, a sequel was announced to be in development as a
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
exclusive film, with a screenplay written by Jen D'Angelo.
In March 2020,
Adam Shankman
Adam Michael Shankman (born November 27, 1964) is an American film director, producer, writer, dancer, author, actor, and choreographer. He was a permanent judge on season 6–7 of the television program ''So You Think You Can Dance''. He began h ...
signed on to direct ''Hocus Pocus 2'' concurrently to his work on the ''
Enchanted'' sequel ''
Disenchanted''.
Casting
On November 1, 2019, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy expressed interest in reprising their roles as the Sanderson sisters in the sequel. In September 2020, Midler revealed that she has entered talks to return in the film as Winifred, and in October 2020, she said she would return alongside Parker and Najimy, though their returns were not officially confirmed until May 2021. In October 2021, it was announced that Taylor Paige Henderson had been cast as one of the three leads.
Shortly afterwards,
Sam Richardson was reported to be in final negotiations to join the cast in an undisclosed role. That same month,
Tony Hale
Anthony Russell Hale (born September 30, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his role in the Fox comedy series ''Arrested Development'' as Buster Bluth. Hale played Gary Walsh on the HBO comedy ''Veep'' from 2012 until its ...
has joined the cast as the mayor of Salem, Jefry Traske, and the full supporting cast was confirmed on October 31, 2021, including
Hannah Waddingham
Hannah Waddingham (born 28 July 1974) is a British actress and singer. She is best known for playing Rebecca Welton in the comedy series ''Ted Lasso'' (2020–present), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actres ...
and the return of
Doug Jones, who portrayed William "Billy" Butcherson in the original film.
In March 2022, it was announced that
Thora Birch
Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress and producer. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in ''Purple People Eater'', for which she received a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years ...
would not be reprising the role of Dani Dennison from the previous film. Birch later revealed she would have appeared in the film but couldn't due to a scheduling conflict. In the summer of that year, it was then announced that
Sean Murray,
Larry Bagby
Larry Bagby (born March 7, 1974) is an American actor and musician, who is best known as Ernie 'Ice' in '' Hocus Pocus'', Larry Blaisdell in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', Pvt. Shirley "Hickey" Kendrick in ''Saints and Soldiers'', Marshall Grant ...
, Tobias Jelinek,
Omri Katz
Omri Haim Katz (born May 30, 1976) is a retired American actor. His television and film credits include ''Eerie Indiana'', ''Matinee (1993 film), Matinee'', ''Adventures in Dinosaur City'', ''Hocus Pocus (1993 film), Hocus Pocus'', and the soap o ...
, and
Vinessa Shaw
Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw (born July 19, 1976) is an American film actress and model. She began her career as a child actor, and had her breakout role in Disney's 1993 Halloween comedy-fantasy film '' Hocus Pocus''. Shaw also appeared in ''Ladybu ...
would also not be reprising their roles as Thackery Binx, Ice, Jay, Max, and Allison, respectively.
Pre-production
On October 29, 2020, Midler stated that a story outline for the sequel has been completed, which she praised as "pretty great" along with Najimy and Jessica Parker. On November 3, Midler revealed that the producers are trying to re-hire several members of the first film's production team that are alive and hadn't retired, as they felt much of the success of the first film came from the work of the behind-the-scenes team. In April 2021,
Anne Fletcher
Anne Fletcher (born May 1, 1966) is an American choreographer, film director, dancer and actress. She directed the films '' Step Up'' (2006), ''27 Dresses'' (2008) and ''The Proposal (2009 film), The Proposal'' (2009).
Early life
Born Anne Marie ...
replaced Shankman as the director due to his directing duties with ''
Disenchanted'', although he did remain as an executive producer on the film.
Filming
Production was scheduled to begin in the middle of 2021, in
Salem,
. In September 2021, sets for ''Hocus Pocus 2'' were confirmed being built at Chase Farms in
Lincoln, Rhode Island
Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,529 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence. Lincoln is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical are ...
, and
Washington Square in
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
. Filming began on October 18, 2021, in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, under the
working title
A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...
''Black Flame''. All scenes Samuel Skelton High School was shot in the Moses Brown School (exteriors) and in the La Salle Academy (interior).
Filming also took place on November 8, 2021, in Newport's Washington Square taking place in a modern Salem, Massachusetts. On December 10, 2021, filming began in
Federal Hill, which was transformed with a Halloween-themed backdrop. On January 26, 2022, Midler confirmed that filming had completed.
Music
In October 2021, it was announced that
John Debney
John Cardon Debney (born August 18, 1956) is an American composer and conductor of film, television, and video game scores. His work encompasses a variety of mediums and genres including comedy, horror, thriller, and action-adventure. He is a ...
, the composer of the original film, was set to return to score the sequel.
The soundtrack, which features two new songs in addition to Debney’s score, was released digitally by
Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by its r ...
on September 30, 2022 and will be released physically on November 11, 2022.
Marketing
The first teaser trailer was released on June 28, 2022. The teaser trailer reached 43.6 million views in its first 24 hours while on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, the ''#HocusPocus'' became a top trend of the day on Twitter following the teaser's debut. The social media conversation was also the most gender balanced of the comps at 51 percent male and 49 percent female. On August 29, 2022, a first look at
Doug Jones as Billy was released showing the character resurrected again by the Sanderson sisters. On September 9, 2022, the official trailer for the film premiered at the 2022
D23 Expo
D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, the D23 Expo. The name ''D23'' refers to ''D'' for ''Disney'' and ''23' ...
and was released online afterward. On September 21, 2022, the first look at ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' trio as the Sanderson Sisters plus a new brand poster were released. After the release of the film, in October, 2022, the Sanderson Sisters and other material based on the film were included in the video game ''
Disney Magic Kingdoms
''Disney Magic Kingdoms'' is a 2016 city building game developed and published by Gameloft for iOS, Android, and Windows. It is themed off the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. The game was officially launched on March 17, 2016.
Storyline
The game ...
'' for a Halloween Event focused in ''Hocus Pocus 2'', although with the characters involved in a new storyline unrelated to the events of the film.
Release
''Hocus Pocus 2'' was released on September 30, 2022, on
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
.
Reception
Audience viewership
In October 2022, Disney+ reported ''Hocus Pocus 2'' was the service's most-viewed film premiere in the United States, based on number of hours streamed in the first three days of its release. Disney later reported that ''Hocus Pocus 2'' was the service's most-viewed film.
According to
Whip Media
Whip Media Group is a private American company selling enterprise software for content distribution, as well as TV- and film-related user data. It operates physical offices in the US, the UK, and the EU.
Background
Whip Media Group is the resul ...
, ''Hocus Pocus 2'' was the 2nd most anticipated film of September 2022, the most watched straight-to-streaming title of 2022 in its first three days, as of October 2022, the most watched film across all platforms in the United States, during the week of September 30, 2022 to October 2, 2022, the 2nd during the week of October 9, 2022, the 4th during the week of October 23, 2022, as well as the 4th during the week of October 30, 2022, and the 9th during the week of November 4, 2022 to November 6, 2022. 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.
Critical response
The
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported an approval rating of 64% based on 152 reviews, with an average rating of 5.70/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "''Hocus Pocus 2'' is basically a boiling cauldron of nostalgia, but that's more than enough for this belated sequel to cast a reasonably effective spell."
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
gave it a
weighted average
The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...
score of 56 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Claire Shaffer of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said that while the film "may be a blatant attempt by Disney to continue propping up its streaming platform Disney+
.. it manages to capture the same hokey magic of the original while creatively updating its humor". Ani Bundel of ''
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
'' asserted, "The result is a joyful film that works well for both the 5-year-old child who is finally getting the hang of Halloween and the 15-year-old who still enjoys kid movies at heart. But most of all, it's meant for those 25 and up, whom Disney spent the last two decades preparing to appreciate a new installment of a cult classic franchise in the making." Jennifer Green of ''
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. '' gave the movie four stars out of five, complimented the depiction of positive messages, role models, and the diverse representations across the characters, while calling the film a "campy but entertaining sequel". Amelia Emberwing of ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' rated the film seven out of ten, writing, "The Sanderson sisters are back and the cost is a lot steeper than hell this time. The original cast returns to remind us why ''Hocus Pocus'' became a cult classic, and new players give fans being introduced to the franchise wonderful characters to cheer on, although Hannah Waddingham should have been given more to do. Some shoddy greenscreen work pulls ''Hocus Pocus 2'' down, but otherwise it feels like a Disney Channel Original Movie in a charming way." Nell Minow of ''
RogerEbert.com'' gave the film three and a half stars out of four, writing, "Nearly 30 years later, ''Hocus Pocus 2'' should make fans of all generations happy, paying tribute to the original and adding some gentle updating and some welcome diversity, subtracting some violence. It is also a little bit sweeter."
Lovia Gyarkye of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote, "The sisters slink and snake their way through Salem on Halloween night, making quips and jokes about the oddities of contemporary life with their signature sharp tongues and quick wit. They still have a thirst for evil and a disdain for children, but their bite is dulled by the film’s interest in softening them." In a "B-" review, Jude Dry of ''
IndieWire
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
'' wrote, "This year, the fun continues with a totally satisfactory sequel that brings the Sanderson sisters back to life one more time. OK, so the plot is basically the same and the jokes mere updates to the original.
..Unfortunately, their mean streaks seem to have softened over the years, and the movie relies on a manufactured sisterly bond to wrap things up. The script adds a saccharine sweetness along with its teen feminist morality play, as if it's far too aware of sending a message. Some things, it seems, are better left buried." Benjamin Lee of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the film two stars out of four, writing, "Bette Midler returns with her child-killing sisters in a disappointingly flat follow-up that tries too hard to soften the villains." Helen O'Hara of ''
Empire Magazine
''Empire'' is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. The first issue was published in May 1989.
History
David Hepworth of Emap, the publisher of British music magazines '' Q'' and ''Smash Hits'', among other title ...
'' gave the film two stars out of five, saying, "This is just as unevenly plotted as the original, lacks even the element of surprise, and is not by any reasonable standard 'good'. Between gooey and ghoulish, there must be better options."
Accolades
References
External links
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