Is Hocus Pocus Getting A Reboot?

Is someone daring to remake the iconically timeless perfect movie Hocus Pocus? Rumor around Hollywood is that a sequel/remake is being made as we speak.  Here is everything we know:

Twenty-six years after it bombed Hollywood, Hocus Pocus is finally getting a sequel...or a reimagining, or a reboot. While we’re still unclear on the specifics, we do know that Disney+, the new streaming service, has committed to revisiting the wacky world of the Sanderson sisters, but why now?

When Hocus Pocus opened in theaters on July 1993, it didn’t seem to put a spell on anyone. Critics hated the Bette Midler comedy calling it “an unholy mess.” Roger Ebert’s review said the movie’s three bumbling spell-casters “don’t have personalities; they have behavior patterns and decibel levels.” The Associated Press was even harsher: “The only real curses in this film will be yours as you walk up the aisle to leave,” wrote Patricia Bibby.

Directed by Kenny Ortega, Hocus Pocus stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, three witches who are burned at the stake in 17th century Salem.

Decades later, a teenager called Max (Omri Katz) moves to Salem and ends up at the witches' old home, where he lights the Black Flame Candle and accidentally brings the Sandersons back from the dead. Max, his little sister Dani (Thora Birch) and local girl Allison (Vinessa Shaw) team up with a talking cat to try and stop the witches before they can consume the life forces of every child in town.

The movie debuted in fourth place at the weekend box office quickly dropped out of the top 10, and ultimately earned just $39.5 million, a disappointment for its studio, Walt Disney who, like Midler at the time was at the top of their box office game.

But then something magical happened. With the power of VHS, DVD, streaming video, TV airings, and word of mouth, the movie became a HIT. It also helped that Halloween was turning into a big holiday that now rivals Christmas and there were no other "classic" Holloween family movies only Horror.

What It’s a Wonderful Life is to Christmas, Hocus Pocus has officially become to Halloween...Millennials made this movie "Fetch."

So, of course, a "reboot" is an obvious choice, and now Disney is developing one for the streaming platform Disney+. The project would be written by Jen D’Angelo (Happy Together, LA to Vegas, Workaholics) and is a strong nod to the original film.

So there you have it. A Hocus Pocus reboot is coming. Hopefully, it will be magical...we hope.  The original Hocus Pocus...you put a spell on us, and we ❤️you. xoxo