Hocus Pocus was a bomb.
Disney's live-action comedy-fantasy about of a trio of 17th-century witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) inadvertently resurrected in modern-day Salem, Mass., where they wreak havoc, didn't even debut in the box-office top three its opening weekend on July 16, 1993.
Instead, it finished behind The Firm, In the Line of Fire, and Jurassic Park, on its way to a total box office of less than $40 million.
So why, more than 25 years later, is Najimy touring with Hocus Pocus — an evening offering a live discussion, audience Q&A, and then a screening of the film, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd.?
Because, like the witches in the film, Hocus Pocus has had a magical second life.
Through reasons best explained by Najimy herself, the film has gone from a tax write-off by Disney accountants to a cult film and now a beloved Hallow-day classic.
"I think it's the availability of it," said the 62-year-old actress, best known for her work as a sweet, singing nun in both Sister Act films and her voice work in several animated series, including nice-but-firm wife and mother Peggy Hill on King of the Hill.
What: An In-Person Conversation with Kathy Najimy, followed by Hocus Pocus screening
Where: Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd. When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: From $27 to $104, at stranahantheater.com, at the theater's box office, or by calling 419-381-8851, ext. 1.
"It just started picking up through the decades, really. Grandparents would show it to their kids, and their kids would show it to their kids. They would have an old beat-up VHS [tape] and now it's Hulu and the Disney Channel every five seconds. It had one of those resurgences that one could never predict. Usually films come out in the theater and then maybe they'll be on Pay TV, and I think the fact that people had access to it and wanted to share it with their kids and their kids and their kids must've contributed to its popularity.
"It's surprising to all of us," she added. "I've done 25 or 30 films and it's always surprising which ones stick and this one took so long to find its stride. It was fourth in its [opening] weekend (box office), and we all said we're onto the next [project], and this was fun. And I got to be in a movie with my childhood idol, Bette Midler, so that was great.”
In this recent phone interview with The Blade, the San Diego-born Najimy went out of her way to note that Toledo is a "very special city" to her.
"One of my best friends and mentors and one of the reasons that I'm actually me is because of Gloria Steinem," she said. "Gloria grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and her mom actually worked at the newspaper there."
A major figure in the '60s and '70s feminist movement, Steinem helped shape Najimy's views as a teenager, she said. And in a way, so did Midler, for whom Najimy had an almost fanatical appreciation.
"I think somebody or a group of people have such an influence on the make up of your body and mind and imagination and ideas for your future. Sometimes you manifest them. I think that's what happened with both Bette and Gloria.
"Bette was such a huge influence on my life that I did crazy things, that I jumped backstage, with guards running after me, to try and find her, and I dressed up as a big furry bunny and did a singing telegram to her so that I could meet her. It is such a huge part of my one-woman show.
"And then I found myself receiving a call from [then-Disney chairman] Jeffrey Katzenberg one day, saying, 'Do you want to be in a movie called Hocus Pocus playing Bette Midler's sister? I'm sure all the people in San Diego who grew up with me, knowing that I was this sycophant, saying and doing all of these stunts just to meet her, were like, 'What the hell?'
"And then Gloria had a huge impact on me. I'm an activist and a feminist and I remember, again being in San Diego, and getting a Ms. magazine (which Steinem co-founded) at the supermarket and opening it up and — it sounds very corny — realizing you weren't the only one, that there are others out there like you. I was just in the process of defining what my beliefs were, I really didn't have many people to discover and talk to about this, but opening up Ms. magazine and reading Gloria and all the other women of Ms.
“And then of, course, becoming friends with Gloria — she officiated at my wedding with my husband Dan [Finnerty] — and is one of my best friends today and a mentor and has helped guide my life politically. It's interesting that in the same interview we’re talking about Bette and Gloria."
Meeting and working with her idol Bette, Najimy said, "far surpassed" her expectations.
"I never thought, as a lower, lower, lower income girl in a family of six in San Diego, that I would ever even see one of them from afar let alone be in rooms with them," she said. "I actually saw Bette last night. We have a common friend who had a big birthday party last night, so I saw her. I see Gloria on a regular basis. So no, no expectations were dashed."
There's long been talk of a Hocus Pocus sequel. Will that ever happen? [Editor's note: Approximately 48 hours after this interview, Disney announced its intentions to develop a Hocus Pocus film for its Disney+ streaming service, though there's no word whether it will be a sequel or reboot or feature any of the original cast.]
"It's so funny because people really seriously ask us, like we're in charge," Najimy said. "We're not Disney studios, we can't wave our wands and say, 'There's a sequel.' [LAUGHS]
“I mean, honestly, I would say that all three of us are on to many, many other projects. I'm directing, I'm producing, I have a documentary ... Sarah has her things that she is doing, and Bette, of course. I don't know that it would ever synchronize [for the three of us] for that, but I would love to do a cameo as the three sisters in a Hocus Pocus sequel. But I'm so happy with the way the first turned out. It's surprising. It was so much fun to make. I loved the flying, Sarah and I really loved the flying a lot. But I don't have the answer to that because I'm not [chairman and CEO of Disney, Robert Iger]."
As for returning to voice Peggy Hill on Mike Judge's Texas-centric animated sitcom, Najimy said she wouldn't hesitate to say "yes," if she’s ever asked.
“King of the Hill is one of the best jobs I've ever had in life. I really care about writing. That's my number one priority that I look for. The writing was so good for 14 seasons [and] they were so collaborative. They let us define and create our characters ourselves, they always took our suggestions and opinions. They were such a fine group of writers. And if you knew me you'd know I was a complainer, but I loved every second of that. And in a second, I think most of us would go back and do King of the Hill.”
First Published October 26, 2019, 2:30 p.m.
