Hocus Pocus had every reason not to succeed, and, according to Mashable's report, it didn't. The film grossed just over $39 million at the box office (and that was in the '90s). Critics gave it lacklustre reviews. (Roger Ebert gave it one star; The New York Times said it had "virtually no grip on its story.") Yet, as soon as the film was released on video and later on DVD, sales have peaked every October and continue to rise. Not to mention you can see it any given October on ABC Family or Lifetime.