Many Halloween lovers have a longstanding tradition watching the 1993 cult classic Hocus Pocus every year. For the few who haven’t seen it, there will be plenty of opportunity this year: Freeform has scheduled the film to air 14 times during October as part of its annual 31 Nights of Halloween.

For being such a foundational Halloween staple, it’s surprising that Hocus Pocus was actually a huge disappointment at the box office: It didn't even break even. Plus, the movie was very poorly received by critics.

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In Hocus Pocus, the Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) torment the children of Salem with their witchcraft. Finally, the townspeople sentence them to death, but not before the witches cast a spell which will bring them back to life when a virgin lights their black flame candle.

After Thackery Binx (Sean Murray) is cursed to spend eternity as a cat, he guards the house of the old witches to ensure no one ever brings them back. Unfortunately for him, Max (Omri Katz), Dani (Thora Birch) and Allison (Vinessa Shaw) accidentally resurrect the sisters and have to put a stop to them before they devour the souls of every last child in Salem.

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Hocus Pocus has a dismal 37 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. In his review, Roger Ebert wrote, “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.”

Many critics found the performances to be too over the top. “Ms. Midler grandly plays this harpy as if she were Norma Desmond tackling the opening of Macbeth,” said Janet Maslin of The New York Times.

It took nearly a decade for Hocus Pocus to make it to theaters. Producer and co-writer David Kirschner actually pitched the project to Walt Disney Studios in 1984. He told Yahoo Entertainment, “By the time I got to the parking lot, one of the executives -- not [then-Disney chairman Jeffrey] Katzenberg, but one of the executives -- ran after me… and he said, ‘Don’t take it anywhere else. We want to do it.’”

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Despite the lengthy development process, moviegoers weren’t much more spellbound than critics, as the film only pulled in $39 million at the box office. Breaking even requires a film to pull in double its budget, making Hocus Pocus into a vexing $28 million venture for Disney. It was officially a flop. In addition to other external factors, the film failed to compete against the family-friendly classic Free Willy and the highly-anticipated Jurassic Park.

In the decades since, Hocus Pocus has achieved cult status and become an essential part of the Halloween season. In 2014, Midler told fans in a Reddit AMA, “When it came out, it laid a tiny little bit of an egg, so we didn’t expect much… and now look at it! OCTOBER is HOCUS POCUS MONTH!”

The movie often has seasonal screenings at Disney's El Capitan theater and is becoming an essential film for drive-ins this October. Due to Halloween activity being restricted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hocus Pocus may see its most popular season ever this year. Many will be gravitating away from larger gatherings in favor of a spooky movie marathon on the couch.

Hocus Pocus stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Sean Murray, Omri Katz, Dani, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw. It is available for streaming now on Disney+ and will air on Freeform throughout October as part of its 31 Nights of Halloween Schedule.

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