Newsweek
How To Market A Big-Budget Bomb
Aug 22, 1993 8:00 PM EDT
Disney‘s “Hocus Pocus” is a case study in selling a turkey:
Salem witches in movie survive by killing kids. Adults dislike it.
Downplay feminism, highlight Bette Midler. Still too scary, but parents won’t know that until too late.
Trailers downplay dark elements, stress stars, aim at big first weekend.
Opens respectably, then drops 32 percent. Even clever, misleading marketing can’t save it.
