Entertainment Movies Children & Family Movies 'Hocus Pocus 2' Beats 'Encanto' for Nielsen Charts' Biggest Streaming Movie Debut Record In its first weekend, Hocus Pocus 2 was reportedly watched for over 2.7 billion minutes by Disney+ users By Tommy McArdle Tommy McArdle Tommy McArdle is an editorial assistant on the Movies team at PEOPLE. Tommy joined PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 27, 2022 05:26PM EDT Photo: Walt Disney Pictures/Disney+ Hocus Pocus 2 had a magical debut weekend. On Thursday, Variety reported that the latest Nielsen top 10 streaming chart shows the Disney+ movie now owns the distinction of Nielsen's biggest opening weekend ever for a streaming movie: It scored 2.7 billion minutes watched after premiering Sept. 30. According to Deadline, the previous record holder on Nielsen (which tracks audience data across participating streaming services) was Encanto. That animated musical, which hit streaming after a theatrical run, attracted 2.2 billion minutes viewed when it first hit Disney+ in December. Disney also holds third place with Frozen 2's 2.17 billion, per Variety. On Oct. 4, Disney+ announced that Hocus Pocus 2 — which comes nearly 30 years after the 1993 original — became the streaming service's No. 1 movie debut domestically to date, based on hours streamed in the first three days of its release. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Doug Jones returned for the sequel. The cast also includes Sam Richardson, Tony Hale, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham, Froy Gutierrez and Hannah Waddingham. Hocus Pocus Star Omri Katz Admits He Was Stoned During Filming: 'I Was Having a Good Old Time' Walt Disney Pictures/Disney+ Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Parker recently told Extra she would sign on for a third Hocus Pocus if Midler also joined the project. "Bette is already starting rumors," she said of a potential sequel. "I hitch my wagon to her star. If she wants to do a third one… No one says no to the Divine Miss M." Parker added that she didn't think there would ever be a sequel — but Midler always thought it was possible: "Bette was the person who had this fervent wish that this would happen and could not be deterred from the idea. You should ask her, 'cause she will say, 'Absolutely, I always imagined. I've been telling them for years.' " Hocus Pocus 2 is now streaming on Disney+. Close