Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for Hocus Pocus 2?

Directed by Anne Fletcher, with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy leading the cast, Hocus Pocus 2 was produced by Walt Disney Pictures with a confirmed budget of $30,000,000, placing it in the low-budget category for fantasy films as part of the Hocus Pocus Collection.

With a $30,000,000 budget, Hocus Pocus 2 sits in the mid-range of studio releases. Marketing costs for a wide release at this level typically add $30–60 million, putting the break-even point near $75,000,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• A Hologram for the King (2016): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $9,169,507 → ROI: -69% • A Lot Like Love (2005): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $42,886,719 → ROI: 43% • Big Momma's House (2000): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $173,959,438 → ROI: 480% • Crazy Rich Asians (2018): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $238,539,198 → ROI: 695% • Doomsday (2008): Budget $30,000,000 | Gross $22,472,631 → ROI: -25%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Visual Effects & Creature Design Fantasy productions require extensive VFX for magical elements, mythical creatures, and fantastical battle sequences. Creature design alone — from concept art through motion capture and digital rendering — can consume tens of millions of dollars on a major production.

▸ Costumes, Prosthetic Makeup & Production Design Period-inspired or wholly original costumes, elaborate prosthetic and makeup applications, and richly detailed set construction are hallmarks of fantasy filmmaking. A single hero costume can cost $30,000–50,000, multiplied across dozens of featured characters.

▸ Music Score & Sound Design Fantasy epics typically commission full orchestral scores recorded with 80–100 piece ensembles, plus extensive sound design for magical effects, creature vocalizations, and immersive world audio.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo Key roles: Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson; Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson; Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson; Whitney Peak as Becca

DIRECTOR: Anne Fletcher CINEMATOGRAPHY: Elliot Davis MUSIC: John Debney EDITING: Julia Wong PRODUCTION: Walt Disney Pictures, Weimaraner Republic Pictures, David Kirschner Productions FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

Theatrical box office data is not publicly available for Hocus Pocus 2 (2022). This may indicate a limited release, direct-to-streaming, or a release predating modern box office tracking.

Profitability Assessment

Insufficient publicly available data to assess profitability.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

Franchise: Hocus Pocus 2 is part of the Hocus Pocus Collection.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Casting

On November 1, 2019, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy expressed interest in reprising their roles as the Sanderson sisters in the sequel. In September 2020, Midler revealed that she has entered talks to return in the film as Winifred, and in October 2020, she said she would return alongside Parker and Najimy, though their returns were not officially confirmed until May 2021. In October 2021, it was announced that Taylor Paige Henderson had been cast as one of the three leads. Shortly afterwards, Sam Richardson was reported to be in final negotiations to join the cast in an undisclosed role. That same month, Tony Hale joined the cast as the mayor of Salem, Jefry Traske, and the full supporting cast was confirmed on October 31, 2021, including Hannah Waddingham and the return of Doug Jones, who portrayed William "Billy" Butcherson in the original film. In March 2022, it was announced that Thora Birch would not be reprising the role of Dani Dennison from the previous film. Birch later revealed she would have appeared in the film but was unable to due to a scheduling conflict. In the summer of that year, it was then announced that Sean Murray, Larry Bagby, Tobias Jelinek, Omri Katz, and Vinessa Shaw would also not be reprising their roles as Thackery Binx, Ice, Jay, Max, and Allison, respectively. In March 2023, during a Hocus Pocus reunion at the 2023 90's Con in Hartford, Connecticut, Birch, Shaw, Marsden, and Katz revealed that they were never contacted or considered for the sequel, and revealed there was a possibility for working their characters into the script before Disney decided to go in a different route for the sequel.

▸ Pre-Production

On October 29, 2020, Midler stated that a story outline for the sequel had been completed, which she praised as "pretty great" along with Najimy and Parker. On November 3, Midler revealed that the producers were trying to re-hire several members of the first film's production team that are alive and had not retired, as they felt much of the success of the first film came from the work of the behind-the-scenes team. In April 2021, Anne Fletcher replaced Shankman as the director due to his directing duties with Disenchanted, although he did remain as an executive producer on the film.

▸ Filming & Locations

Production was scheduled to begin in the middle of 2021, in Salem, Massachusetts. In September 2021, sets for Hocus Pocus 2 were confirmed being built at Chase Farms in Lincoln, Rhode Island, and Washington Square in Newport, Rhode Island. Filming began on October 18, 2021, in Providence, Rhode Island, under the working title Black Flame. All scenes Samuel Skelton High School was shot in the Moses Brown School (exteriors) and in the La Salle Academy (interior).

Filming also took place on November 8, 2021, in Newport's Washington Square taking place in a modern Salem, Massachusetts. On December 10, 2021, filming began in Federal Hill, which was transformed with a Halloween-themed backdrop. On January 26, 2022, Midler confirmed that filming had completed.

[Filming] Production was scheduled to begin in the middle of 2021, in Salem, Massachusetts. In September 2021, sets for Hocus Pocus 2 were confirmed being built at Chase Farms in Lincoln, Rhode Island, and Washington Square in Newport, Rhode Island. Filming began on October 18, 2021, in Providence, Rhode Island, under the working title Black Flame. All scenes Samuel Skelton High School was shot in the Moses Brown School (exteriors) and in the La Salle Academy (interior).

▸ Music & Score

In October 2021, it was announced that John Debney, the composer of the original film, was set to return to score the sequel. The soundtrack, which features two new songs in addition to Debney's score, was released digitally by Walt Disney Records on September 30, 2022, and was released physically on November 11, 2022.

▸ Marketing & Release

The first teaser trailer was released on June 28, 2022. The teaser trailer reached 43.6 million views in its first 24 hours while on Twitter, the #HocusPocus became a top trend of the day on Twitter following the teaser's debut. The social media conversation was also the most gender balanced of the comps at 51 percent male and 49 percent female. On August 29, 2022, a first look at Doug Jones as Billy was released showing the character resurrected again by the Sanderson sisters. On September 9, 2022, the official trailer for the film premiered at the 2022 D23 Expo and was released online afterward. On September 21, 2022, the first look at RuPaul's Drag Race trio as the Sanderson Sisters plus a new brand poster were released. After the release of the film, in October, 2022, the Sanderson Sisters and other material based on the film were included in the video game Disney Magic Kingdoms for a Halloween Event focused on Hocus Pocus 2, although with the characters involved in a new storyline unrelated to the events of the film.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. 3 wins & 17 nominations total

Additional Recognition: The film is one of the media that received the ReFrame Stamp for the years 2022 to 2023. The stamp is awarded by the gender equity coalition ReFrame and industry database IMDbPro for film and television projects that are proven to have gender-balanced hiring, with stamps being awarded to projects that hire female-identifying people, especially women of color, in four out of eight key roles for their production.

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CRITICAL RECEPTION

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 65% based on 157 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Hocus Pocus 2 is basically a boiling cauldron of nostalgia, but that's more than enough for this belated sequel to cast a reasonably effective spell." Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Ani Bundel of NBC News stated that the film is a joyful experience, appealing to both young children just discovering Halloween and teenagers who still enjoy family movies. However, Bundel emphasized that the film is primarily aimed at viewers aged 25 and older, whom Disney has spent the last two decades cultivating to appreciate a new installment of this emerging cult classic franchise. Claire Shaffer of The New York Times noted that, despite the film being a clear effort by Disney to bolster its Disney+ platform, it successfully captures the nostalgic charm of the original while also offering a creative update to its humor. Jennifer Green of Common Sense Media awarded the movie four out of five stars, praising its positive messages, role models, and diverse character representations. She described the film as a "campy but entertaining sequel." Amelia Emberwing of IGN rated the film 7 out of 10, noting that while the returning Sanderson sisters capture the magic of the original Hocus Pocus, and new characters provide fresh appeal, Hannah Waddingham's role was underutilized. Emberwing pointed out that despite some subpar greenscreen effects, the film retains a charming Disney Channel Original Movie feel.

Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter observed that the Sanderson sisters maintain their sharp wit and humor as they navigate modern-day Salem on Halloween, making playful remarks about contemporary life.