Disney may be ready to make a plan. “Hocus Pocus 3”a production calendar. And this is based on “How Pocus 2” performed for Disney+ in its debut weekend, there probably won’t be a 29-year gap between movies, either.
“Hocus Pocus 2,” the sequel to the 1993 comedy-fantasy classic, was the most streamed movie in the U.S. last weekend, according to Whip Media’s movie ranker — which reflects data from TV Time, a television and movie app that tracks viewer interest across 22 million global registered users.
Register to learn more
And not only did the flick — which saw Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles from the first film — take the top spot in Whip Media’s rankings, it also helped push “Hocus Pocus”For the weekend, it was in second place.
10 Most-Watched Movies on Streaming, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2020, U.S. (Whip Media).
It’s worth noting this is a trend — remakes and sequels propelling older films in a franchise to a second life on streaming — that’s become more common in recent years. This trend was evident last summer. “Top Gun” spent weeks in Whip Media’s top 10 on the momentum of “Top Gun: Maverick,”The first “Jurassic Park”Also, HBO Max did exceptionally well in the months leading up to the June release “Jurassic World Dominion.”
But, back to “Hocus Pocus 2.”Disney earlier this week announced that the movie had made its largest domestic debut on Disney+. This was based on how many hours it was streamed over the first three days. And its performance on Whip Media’s weekly ranker certainly reinforces that claim.
It might be a bit surprising to see how it compares with other original movies that have been released on streaming platforms this year. It turned out to be astonishingly good. It turned out to be quite the opposite. “Hocus Pocus 2”According to new data from Whip Media viewers, this was the top-viewed streaming original film in 2022.
10 Most-watched Original Movies on Netflix, 2022 (Whip Media).
When compared to the U.S. performances of other big releases, including Netflix’s “The Gray Man” and Hulu’s “Prey,” “Hocus Pocus 2”The most views were received in its first three days after release.
Interestingly, “Hocus Pocus 2”The only Disney+ movie that made the list is this one. It was ahead of “The Adam Project” on Netflix — one of six Netflix films to make the top 10. “Luck”Apple TV+ and “Moonshot”HBO Max was the sole representative for each service.
The big debut “Hocus Pocus 2” makes the words of Vinessa Shaw, who starred as Max’s crush Allison in the original film, look prophetic. In a recent interview with , Shaw said she wasn’t worried about the sequel having a rocky opening weekend like the original movie did in ‘93:
“There’s really no nervousness for me at all because, you know, everyone loves the original, and they love these characters,”Shaw said. “So they’re ready to see them again, and again, and again, and again! If it’s not the original, then they’ll see the sequel, and they’ll go back to the original.”
It seems that the sequel was watched by many viewers. AndThis is the original version as of this week.
Sean Burch is a Whip Media partner and a marketing insights analyst. Click here for more from Whip Media.
