Where was Hocus Pocus 2 filmed?
HOCUS Pocus 2 will follow the Sanderson sisters once again, three decades after the original film was released in 1993.
The Hocus Pocus sequel was released on Disney+ on September 30, 2022.
Where was Hocus Pocus 2 filmed?
The original Hocus Pocus cult classic was filmed between Massachusetts and Hollywood, but the sequel was filmed solely in Rhode Island.
Crews started building the sets in October 2021 and moved into filming at numerous locations around the state.
The primary locations include Providence, Lincoln, and Newport, and according to Director Steven Feinberg, they chose the state because of its diverse sites that are in close proximity to each other.
Rhode Island provided the perfect "New England environment," according to cinematographer Elliot Davis.
Speaking with the , he said, “The director loves Providence, she shot here a couple times … and Disney loves the city.”
As Hocus Pocus 2 comes to Disney+, Airbnb has unveiled a complete replica of the Sanderson sisters' home that can be rented out as Halloween approaches.
Those who want to book their one-night stay can do so beginning on Oct. 12 at 1pm ET at airbnb.com/hocuspocus2.
Complete with a cauldron, spellbook, and rickety floorboards, the home will take visitors 300 years into the past.
“We all know that the Sanderson Sisters’ story might not have ended when we turned to dust, nor did our shenanigans,” Kathy Najimy, who plays Mary Sanderson, told .
She added: “What better way to celebrate the season than to host guests at the trio’s historic haunt for a night they’ll remember for years to come?”
Was Hocus Pocus originally a success?
Although Hocus Pocus is now a beloved Halloween film, it wasn't considered a success when it was first released in 1993.
The movie grossed less than $40million in box office sales and when the reviews came out, they expressed a negative reaction to what has become a renowned movie.
"Hocus Pocus is a film desperately in need of self-discipline," at the time.
He added: "Watching the movie is like attending a party you weren't invited to, and where you don't know anybody, and they're all in on a joke but won't explain it to you."
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He concluded: "A good movie inspires the audience to subconsciously ask, 'Give me more!' The witches in this one inspired my silent cry, 'Get me out of here!'"
Another critic reported their disdain for the film in a 1993 article.
"It’s acceptable scary-silly kid fodder that adults will find only mildly insulting. Unless they’re Bette Midler fans. In which case it’s depressing as hell," he wrote.
was equally dissatisfied with the film, saying, "Hocus Pocus is aimed squarely at the Nowheresville between juvenile and adult audiences, making its most blatant pitch for the young teenage crowd."
The tone surrounding Hocus Pocus has changed substantially since the 1993 reviews came out as fans have clamored for the sequel.
A source told the three stars "all feel like it's about time [the sequel] happens and they wish they had done it sooner. The chemistry between the cast was still there."
They added, "Hocus Pocus fans will not be disappointed. All of their favorite characters from the first movie return and then some."
When is Hocus Pocus 2 coming out?
Bette Midler (Winifred Sanderson), Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah Sanderson), and Kathy Najimy (Mary Sanderson) are returning as the Sanderson sisters, a trio of devilish witches who seek to wreak havoc on Salem.
The sequel was first discussed in 2014 when Midler said in a she was open to a sequel.
She told fans: "Inundate the Disney company. Because I have canvassed the girls and they are willing to do it, but we have no say in it, so if you want a Hocus Pocus 2, ask the Walt Disney company. "
Fans finally got their wish in 2021 when Disney announced production for Hocus Pocus 2 was underway.
The film was released on Disney+ on September 30, 2022, presenting an origin story of the witches of Salem and then fast-forwarding to 300 years later with a new diverse cast.
“It’s been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters, and they are looking for revenge,” Disney describes.
“Now it is up to three high school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow’s Eve.”
Sarah Jessica Parker confirmed her excitement on Instagram ahead of the movie's release writing: "Yep. I'm ready. To run. Amok, amok, amok, amok."
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Variety film critic Peter DeBruge wrote in his : “Hocus Pocus 2 is actually the better-made film, even if it amounts to little more than a stealth remake."
He continued, writing the writer's "strategic decisions about the present-day and old-Salem witch trios being engineered to allow for more sequels, whether or not its star trio return.”