With Halloween just around the corner, streaming services are adding lots of scary movies, both new and old, to get everyone in the spooky spirit. Disney+ is especially popular right now, with many of its classic ’90s horror-fantasy films getting a lot of attention. Leading the way is Hocus Pocus from 1993, which is currently the most-watched movie on the platform.
Okay, so I checked in with Disney+’s most popular titles, and Hocus Pocus is still reigning supreme! As of Thursday, October 23rd, it’s holding onto that number one spot. Right behind it, though, is another blast from the past – The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton‘s classic, is comfortably at number two. Seems like a lot of people are in the mood for some spooky season nostalgia!
Image by Everett Collection.
As a huge fan of Halloween movies, it’s amazing to see how much people still love Hocus Pocus! The 2022 sequel actually ranks as the third most popular Halloween film, and it’s followed by a bunch of other Disney favorites like Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, The Haunted Mansion, Halloweentown High, Vampirina: Teen Vampire, the 2023 remake of Haunted Mansion, Thunderbolts, and Twitches. It just goes to show how many great spooky movies Disney has given us over the years!
Despite a rocky start, the movie Hocus Pocus is enjoying a comeback. When it was first released in 1993, it didn’t do well in theaters, earning just $39 million on a $28 million budget. Critics haven’t always been kind – it currently has a 41% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – but audiences love it, giving it a much higher score of 72%.
As a huge movie fan, I’ve always loved seeing how films find their audience over time. And Hocus Pocus is a perfect example! It was popular when it first came out, but it’s really become a cult classic over the last 32 years. From renting it on VHS and DVD, to watching it every Halloween on Disney Channel, and all the specials celebrating the movie and its stars, it’s become a real pop culture staple. And now, with its success on Disney+, it’s clear its legacy is still going strong!
| Movie | Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score | Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
| Hocus Pocus (1993) | 41% | 72% |
| Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) | 65% | 47% |
Because the original film remained so popular, Disney+ reunited Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy for a sequel available only on their streaming service in 2022. While critics had mixed reactions, the sequel was nominated for several Emmy Awards. In 2023, Disney announced that a third Hocus Pocus movie was being planned, and Bette Midler shared in October 2025 that a script had been completed.
With Hocus Pocus remaining incredibly popular on Disney+ throughout October, there’s growing interest in a third movie. The big question now is whether Hocus Pocus 3 will feature the return of Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw – the original stars who didn’t appear in the 2022 film.
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2025-10-23 21:31