"No thanks": Twitter not interested in Disney's new Hocus Pocus 3

Hocus Pocus 3 is in the works, a Walt Disney top executive confirmed. This update comes 10 months after the release of Hocus Pocus 2. The fantasy comedy premiered on September 30, 2022, on Disney+. Though no other detail about the in-development project has been revealed, chances are Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker will be back as the three evil Sanderson sisters in Hocus Focus 3.

As soon as Discussing Film revealed the news on Twitter, netizens expressed clear indifference towards the same. One user went ahead and tweaked the name to “Hocus Wokeus” while emphasizing their disinterest in the threequel.

A fan reacts to the news of Hocus Pocus 3 shared by Discussing Film. (Photo via Twitter/Sportskeeda)

Helmed by Anne Fletcher in her seventh directorial, Hocus Pocus 2 starred Midler as the eldest Sanderson sister, Winifred “Winnie,” while Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker were Mary and Sarah, respectively. While Winnie’s magical ability was electrokinesis, Mary was a master tracker who could trace a child via her olfaction.

Meanwhile, Sarah, the youngest, used a hypnotic siren call to lure the children. Upon release, the second part received mixed reviews, like the original film that hit theaters in 1993.

"Not caring about the third": Netizens unfazed as Disney executive confirms Hocus Pocus 3

While talking to The New York Times in a recent profiling, Sean Bailey, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, confirmed that Hocus Pocus 3 is also being developed among several other ventures. He stopped short of revealing anything else, though.

So, for now, we have no tips about the plot, crew, release date, or even the cast members of Hocus Focus 3. However, shortly before Hocus Pocus 2 hit the screens last September, screenwriter Jen D’Angelo had indicated that the third installment might focus on the Californian life of Max Dennison (Omri Katz) and his wife Allison Watts (Vinessa Shaw).

At the New York premiere, she said:

“We tried so hard to get the original cast back for cameos (in Hocus Pocus 2) and then it just kept not working out for one reason or the other…But I’m hoping in Hocus Pocus 3, we’ll see Max and Alison living in California.”

While all of these will be disclosed at the right time, given Disney’s smart marketing, it seems social media users are not that enthusiastic about Hocus Focus 3. Twitter witnessed the cold reception when the pop culture portal Discussing Film made the announcement on its account.

Most of them remarked how the second part was a damp film, so their excitement was non-existent for Hocus Focus 3.

Fans react to the news. (Photo via Twitter/Sportskeeda)

Fans are unenthusiastic about the third installment. (Photo via Twitter/Sportskeeda)

Apart from Hocus Pocus 3, Disney is also developing live-action remakes of Moana, Lilo and Stitch, and Hercules. In the upcoming Moana, Dwayne Johnson is returning as Maui, while Auliʻi Cravalho won’t be reprising her part.

However, she will remain a co-executive producer, while Dwayne Johnson will be bankrolling the film via his production firm Seven Bucks Productions along with Flynn Pictures Co.

Hocus Focus 3 has no release date yet.