Hocus Pocus 2 shatters Encanto 's massive viewership record for streaming movies

Hocus Pocus 2's viewership numbers have, well, run amok on the streaming charts.

The long-awaited sequel — which premiered Sept. 30 on Disney+, 29 years after the debut of the original 1993 Halloween classic — broke the record for the total number of minutes watched by a streaming film across its weekend debut, according to Nielsen tracking information.

Audiences reportedly watched 2.73 billion minutes of the Anne Fletcher–directed film, which given its 103-minute runtime is the equivalent to it being viewed in full around 26 million times over its first three days of release.

The company touted the feat as "the biggest opening for a streaming movie ever recorded" in Nielsen history.

Disney (2) 'Hocus Pocus 2' has shattered the 'Encanto' streaming record.

Hocus Pocus 2's opening numbers bested the record previously held by Encanto by nearly 500 million, as that Disney production clocked in 2.2 billion minutes of streaming over its launch between December 2021 and January 2022. Disney's Frozen 2 trails just behind Encanto, with 2.18 billion minutes streamed over the same opening period.

Featuring the return of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sister witches (who return to wreak havoc on Salem after a pair of teens unwittingly resurrect them from the dead), Hocus Pocus 2 earned warm critical praise for its central trio's performances.

In an exclusive interview with EW, the stars teased whether or not they'd return for a potential third film, as Hocus Pocus 2 ends with a post-credits sequence teasing another likely revival for the Sanderson Sisters.

"Kathy had a good idea that the third one should be animated," Parker said. "That would be cool and a smart idea. It's fun, funny, and could be interesting and innovative, like old-fashioned or new [animation]. Of course I'd be happy to have a conversation [for a third film] — it just depends on what Kathy and Bette want!"

Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are streaming now on Disney+. Read EW's full roundtable interview with its original stars.

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