Freeform is airing Hocus Pocus 20 times during 31 Nights of Halloween, plus Hocus Pocus 2 six times. Here’s every showing left, and how a 1993 box office flop got here.
Hocus Pocus is on Freeform 20 times this month.
That’s according to our count of Freeform’s official “31 Nights of Halloween” schedule. The movie airs on 19 of October’s 31 days, twice on Halloween itself. “Hocus Pocus 2” airs six more times.
Not bad for a movie that opened in fourth place in July 1993.
When is Hocus Pocus on TV this October?
Here’s every “Hocus Pocus” airing left on Freeform starting Tuesday, Oct. 13, from Freeform’s 2026 schedule. All times are Eastern and Pacific:
Tuesday, Oct. 13: 6:20 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 14: 2:10 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 15: 12:55 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 17: 5 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 19: 8:55 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 22: 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 23: 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24: 6:55 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 25: 11:30 a.m.
Monday, Oct. 26: 2:10 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 28: 8:50 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31: 1 p.m. and 7:20 p.m.
Freeform says all programming is subject to change, so check your local guide before you settle in.
When is Hocus Pocus 2 on Freeform?
Four airings are left starting Tuesday, according to the same schedule:
Tuesday, Oct. 13: 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 22: 8:35 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24: 9:05 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31: 9:30 p.m.
On Halloween, the sequel comes right after the second “Hocus Pocus” showing, so you can do both back to back.
Was Hocus Pocus a flop?
It didn’t do great.
“Hocus Pocus” opened July 16, 1993, with $8.1 million, according to Box Office Mojo. That put it fourth for the weekend, behind “The Firm,” “In the Line of Fire” and “Jurassic Park.”
It finished its original run with about $39.5 million in North America, Box Office Mojo shows. A Halloween movie, released in the middle of July. You can kind of see the problem.
How did Hocus Pocus become a Halloween classic?
TV, mostly.
“It took off because of television,” Bette Midler told SiriusXM in 2024.
Years of October airings, first on ABC and the Disney Channel and then on ABC Family, built the audience, producer Mick Garris told TheWrap for its oral history of the movie. TheWrap also reported it has sold more than $1 million on DVD every October since 2011.
Kathy Najimy put it best.
“We can’t kill it! It won’t die!” she told USA Today in 2022.
Here’s the “I Put a Spell on You” scene, from Freeform’s official YouTube channel:
How big was Hocus Pocus 2?
Huge, for streaming.
“Hocus Pocus 2” premiered on Disney+ on Sept. 30, 2022. It drew 2.7 billion minutes of viewing in its first weekend, Nielsen’s biggest opening weekend ever for a movie at the time, Variety reported.
Disney said it was the No. 1 film premiere on Disney+ in the U.S. to that point, based on hours watched in its first three days.
When is Hocus Pocus 3 coming out?
There’s no date yet.
Back in October 2025, Midler told Andy Cohen the third movie might be ready for “Halloween 2026,” while adding that nobody knew for sure, TheWrap reported.
It’s Halloween 2026 now, and the movie is still in early development. Deadline reported in May that Disney’s live-action studio has it in the works, with Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Najimy returning. No director or release date has been announced.
One thing may change this time. Variety reported in May that Disney is considering a theatrical release for the third movie, instead of sending it straight to Disney+ like the sequel.
Midler did post a teaser image earlier this month, which we covered in Bette Midler’s Hocus Pocus 3 teaser.
Where else can you watch Hocus Pocus?
Both movies stream on Disney+, according to JustWatch.
And if you’re in Southern California, Disney’s El Capitan Theatre has the original on its big screen through Thursday, Oct. 15, according to the theater’s website. We covered the El Capitan Hocus Pocus run last month.
Where was Hocus Pocus filmed?
Salem, Massachusetts, but less of it than you’d think.
Most of the movie was shot on sound stages in Los Angeles, Bloody Disgusting reported from a 2024 cast reunion screening. What Salem got was mostly outdoor scenes, and a lot of those spots are easy to visit. Destination Salem, the city’s tourism office, lists these:
Pioneer Village, a living history museum, is the 1693 village from the opening scenes.
The Ropes Mansion on Essex Street is the outside of Allison’s house. Its back gardens are free and open to the public.
Old Town Hall was used for the town’s big Halloween party.
The cemetery from the daytime scenes, Old Burial Hill, is one town over in Marblehead.
What are some fun facts about Hocus Pocus?
Free Willy opened the same weekend. It came in fifth, right behind “Hocus Pocus,” Box Office Mojo shows.
The witches have a Disney World show. The “Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular” has run during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom since 2015, according to Disney Parks Blog and WDWMagic.
Leonardo DiCaprio almost played Max. A teenage DiCaprio auditioned, but he was up for two other movies, director Kenny Ortega told Entertainment Weekly in 2017.
“Meeting him awakened me to the kind of spirit and fun and sincerity that I was looking for in an actor,” Ortega said. Omri Katz got the part. DiCaprio went on to “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” which earned him his first Oscar nomination.
Both Binxes have the same voice. Sean Murray played Thackery Binx as a human, but Jason Marsden, the voice of Binx the cat, redubbed Murray’s lines after filming, Bloody Disgusting reported. The studio wanted “an Old World sort of sound,” Marsden said.
Halloween is basically a Hocus Pocus marathon on Freeform. The Oct. 31 lineup has “Hocus Pocus” at 1 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. and “Hocus Pocus 2” at 9:30 p.m.
Thirty-three years later, that July release date still seems like a weird choice.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Freeform, Sept. 16, 2026: Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween Schedule 2026 (our count of every Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 airing)
Box Office Mojo: Hocus Pocus (1993) original release and 1993 weekend 29 chart
SiriusXM, June 27, 2024: Bette Midler on Radio Andy
TheWrap: Hocus Pocus oral history (Mick Garris); Oct. 18, 2025: Bette Midler on the Hocus Pocus 3 script
USA Today via Yahoo, Oct. 3, 2022: Kathy Najimy on Hocus Pocus
Variety, Oct. 27, 2022: Hocus Pocus 2 Nielsen streaming ratings
Disney+ press, Oct. 4, 2022: Hocus Pocus 2 premiere record
Deadline, May 6, 2026: Hocus Pocus 3 in early development at Disney Live Action Studios
El Capitan Theatre website, checked Oct. 11, 2026; Disney Parks Blog, Aug. 3, 2026
JustWatch: Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 U.S. listings, checked Oct. 11, 2026
Freeform on YouTube: I Put a Spell on You, from Hocus Pocus
Variety, May 6, 2026: Hocus Pocus 3 officially in the works, with a theatrical release under consideration
Bloody Disgusting, Oct. 22, 2024: 10 things we learned at the Hocus Pocus cast reunion screening in Salem
Destination Salem: Hocus Pocus filming locations in Salem, checked Oct. 11, 2026
Entertainment Weekly, 2017, via The Irish News, Oct. 20, 2017: Kenny Ortega on Leonardo DiCaprio and Hocus Pocus
WDWMagic, Sept. 16, 2015: Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular headlines Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.