Disney+ Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

[Alex...]

Title: Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

Tagline: We're back, witches.

Genre: Fantasy, Family, Comedy

Director: Anne Fletcher

Cast: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Froy Gutierrez, Belissa Escobedo, Doug Jones, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Hannah Waddingham, Juju Journey Brener, Taylor Henderson, Nina Kitchen, David Torres Jr., Ginger Minj

Release: 2022-09-30

 

[Alex...]

 

[Malcolm R]

A little surprised they didn't set this as a theatrical release. Given all the love for the film over the last 30 years, it seems like it would be a sure #1 at the box office.

I'd like to see it, but I'm not subscribing to D+. I'll have to buy a digital version.

 

[TravisR]

A little surprised they didn't set this as a theatrical release. Given all the love for the film over the last 30 years, it seems like it would be a sure #1 at the box office.

I think it was a calculated move to give D+ a real highlight and something to drive subscriptions beyond Marvel and Star Wars.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Given all the love for the film over the last 30 years, it seems like it would be a sure #1 at the box office.

I think that is precisely the point. In order for Disney+ to be seen as valuable, they've got to put premium stuff on there. They do not want the narrative to be, "Disney+ only puts out crap stuff that isn't good enough to be sent to theaters." They want the narrative to be, "Disney+ is getting a really big movie." I agree that it could have made some money theatrically, but that isn't what they are trying to do here. Disney is willing to sacrifice box office dollars to convert those dollars into paying subscribers. In order to do that, and to keep existing subscribers happy, they've got to make some big movies for the service. Disenchanted will be another one later this year where they could have made it for theaters, but decided to use the weight of that property to add to Disney+ instead.

I'd like to see it, but I'm not subscribing to D+. I'll have to buy a digital version.

I don't think you'll be given the opportunity to do that. Hocus Pocus 2 was greenlit specifically for Disney+. It was never intended to be anything other than a Disney+ original. Disney has never released any of their Disney+ films elsewhere. The live-action Mulan as well as Pixar's trio of Soul, Luca and Turning Red were eventually released to other platforms, but they were originally intended to be theatrical releases. Nothing that has been made for the streaming service has been made available elsewhere.

I'm sure you know that the cost of a month subscription to Disney+ to watch this and then cancel is less than the cost of buying a digital version. If you are opposed in principle to subscribing to Disney+ for any length of time, that is of course your prerogative. But I would be very surprised if this movie has a life away from it. That's not what the movie was designed for.

The trailer looks fine. It looks like a Hocus Pocus movie. But it also looks like they're basically regurgitating the plot of the original movie. I am looking forward to seeing this, but I also hope that it has a better reason to exist than just exploiting the old IP.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The original movie always seemed to strike a weird note for me: Too scary for little kids, but too childish for older kids.

I'm surprised Kenny Ortega isn't back to direct, since he's still very much active in the Disney content machine. Anne Fletcher seems like a good fit for the material, though.

Apparently Thora Birch was going to be back as an adult Dani Dennison, but they couldn't make the scheduling work given her commitments to "Wednesday" for Netflix. Too bad they didn't get Vinessa Shaw back as Allison though.

The original movie shot its exteriors in the real Salem, Mass. and then the rest in Burbank. I had thought this one was going to film entirely on location in the real Salem, but apparently it was shot entirely in Rhode Island.

 

[SFMike]

Sad to see this has now become a girl centric story.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Sad to see this has now become a girl centric story.

What? Why? With respect, this seems like a very odd complaint to me. Did we watch the same original movie? Hocus Pocus has always featured strong female characters and there is no reason for that to change. The three witches are female. Plus, Alison and Dani were strong presences fighting against them in the original film too.

 

[Scamp]

What? Why? With respect, this seems like a very odd complaint to me. Did we watch the same original movie? Hocus Pocus has always featured strong female characters and there is no reason for that to change. The three witches are female. Plus, Alison and Dani were strong presences fighting against them in the original film too.

Perhaps his point is that the main cast now combating the Sanderson Sisters appears to be entirely female. At least in terms of the original film, we also had Max alongside Alison and Dani as well as Binx, so male characters weren't excluded entirely from the main cast as the teaser trailer for the sequel appears to indicate.

 

[Alex...]

 

[JimmyO]

Sad to see this has now become a girl centric story.

Just watch Fight Club right after and you're balanced.

 

[Alex...]

 

[Alex...]

 

[Jeff Cooper]

 

[Malcolm R]

For those who want more Hocus Pocus in their life for Halloween, Home Depot is selling inflatables of the Sanderson Sisters, one a trio, the other Winnie solo.

 

[Alex...]

Amok Amock Amok!

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I'm not a fan and wasn't really paying attention, except I couldn't possibly miss preparations for what must've been some kinda premier event yesterday at the giant IMAX in AMC Lincoln Square where I went to see Avatar in IMAX 3D...

_Man_

 

[dpippel]

 

[Malcolm R]

I don't get the connection. Do they have a song in the film? Or are we supposed to appreciate the spin on Twisted Sister(s) re: the Sandersons?