Hocus Pocus (1993 film)

Hocus Pocus
Three witches flying on a vacuum cleaner, the moon behind them
Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
Directed byKenny Ortega
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHiro Narita
Edited byPeter E. Berger
Music byJohn Debney
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • July 16, 1993 (1993-07-16)
Running time
96 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[2]
Box office$50.7 million[3]

Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film[4] directed by Kenny Ortega from a screenplay by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, and a story by David Kirschner and Garris. It follows a villainous comedic trio of witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy (Omri Katz) in Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween night.

The film was released in North America on July 16, 1993, by Walt Disney Pictures. Upon its original release, it received mixed reviews from critics and was initially a box-office bomb, 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, Fox Family and The Family Channel) all throughout the month of October, Hocus Pocus has been rediscovered by audiences, resulting in a yearly spike in home media sales of the film every Halloween season.[5] The annual celebration of Halloween has helped make the film a cult classic.[6][7]

The film spawned a franchise, consisting of a sequel novelization, a theme park attraction, a TV special, a short film. A sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, written by Jen D'Angelo and directed by Anne Fletcher, was released on September 30, 2022, on Disney+, with a third film currently in development.[8]

  1. ^ "Hocus Pocus (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. July 30, 1993. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  2. ^ "Hocus Pocus (1993) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  3. ^ "Hocus Pocus (1993)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  4. ^ Brenner, Paul. "Hocus Pocus (1993)". AllMovie. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  5. ^ Adalaian, Joseph (October 26, 2017). "How Hocus Pocus Became an Enduring Halloween Hit". Vulture.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  6. ^ Chaney, Jen (October 28, 2015). "The Magical Tale of How 'Hocus Pocus' Went From Box-Office Flop to Halloween Favorite". Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  7. ^ Heller, Corrine (July 16, 2018). "Hocus Pocus Celebrates 25th Anniversary: How It Became a Cult Classic". E! Online. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  8. ^ Franklin, McKinley (June 4, 2023). "'Hocus Pocus 3' in Development at Disney". Variety. Retrieved June 5, 2023.

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