I mean releasing this type of movie in the summer?? what were they thinking back then lol..i can see why it bombed though but at least had a huge cult following despite getting trashed by critics.
sure some events don't make sense but it's one of the rarest halloween movies that's non-horror to enjoy 🐼
two.
While it is now regarded as a Halloween family classic, "Hocus Pocus" bombed at the box office in 1993. On opening weekend, the film only brought in about $8 million against a $28 million budget and finished fourth. Critics also bashed the film - which stars Bette Midler, Kathy Najimi and Sarah Jessica Parker as a trio of witches accidentally brought back to life by a teenager - which probably didn't help.
But despite "Hocus Pocus" later becoming a hit on VHS and through repeated TV airings, I can't help but feel like Disney might be partially responsible for the film's theatrical failure. Why would they release a Halloween movie in the middle of summer instead of holding for October? Of course, last time I watched "Hocus Pocus" was a Christmastime screening on one of Disney's cable channels, so I guess timing still isn't their strongest suit.
Although it's not exactly a Halloween movie (the final part does take place at a Halloween party though) I remember Casper coming out in May or June and it was a hit.
shareIt was released during the summer because Disney had another Halloween-themed movie that year, "The Nightmare Before Christmas". They didn't want the two movies competing against each other, so they released Hocus Pocus during the summer and Nightmare in October.
shareActually, at the time, Disney refused to put their name on Nightmare Before Christmas. So they released it under Touchstone Pictures. It stayed that way for years. The first DVD they released didn't have Disney's name on it either. It wasn't til the time Bluray became popular that Disney finally put their name on it.
shareYeah that's surprising. Why not October instead?
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