Did anyone say Beetlejuice's name three times? Anyway, the mischievous devil is back in triumph, unleashing a massive box office havoc.
“Beetlejuice,” the sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 horror comedy about a disturbing ghost, took in a whopping $110 million from 4,575 theaters in its opening weekend. That’s the second-biggest September ticket sales ever, ahead of 2019’s “It: Chapter 2” ($91 million) and behind 2017’s “It” ($123 million). The film provided a much-needed boost to the domestic box office, which had been lagging after a dull end to the summer season.
“It’s a great start for a comedy sequel 36 years after the first film,” says David A. Gross, who runs the film consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “In 1988, ‘Beetlejuice’ was an unconventional story that started slowly and became a hit over the next few weeks. This time, audiences know what to expect and the unconventional film looks much better than the usual stories. It’s a big hit.”
Nostalgia for the first film, as well as word-of-mouth promotion for the sequel, has driven ticket sales to triple digits. The original “Beetlejuice” became one of the highest-grossing films of 1988, grossing $74.7 million, and later inspired a Tony-nominated Broadway musical that continues to tour the country. So even though it’s been more than three decades since the first film, which follows an underworld exorcist who helps a recently deceased couple haunt their former home’s new residents, “The Most Spooky” has never left the cultural zeitgeist.
Unlike recent sequels or remakes like “Twisters” or “Wonka,” which featured entirely new casts, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” features many familiar faces. Burton returns to direct the film and brings along Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as stepmother Delia Deetz. “Wednesday” favorites Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe join the cast. The sequel picks up 36 years later when Lydia Deetz’s daughter (whose family was the original subject of horror) discovers a portal to the afterlife and accidentally releases everyone’s favorite ghost.
Elsewhere, box office receipts looked bleak and far removed from the land of the living. With the exception of Beetlejuice, no film managed to achieve double-digit ticket sales.
Disney's “Deadpool & Wolverine” dropped to second place with $6.4 million from 3,400 theaters in its seventh (yes, seventh!) weekend. The R-rated film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has grossed $613 million domestically and $1.25 billion worldwide.
The film “Reagan,” which tells the story of the late US President Ronald Reagan and stars Dennis Quaid, remained in third place with revenues of $5.1 million from 2,770 theaters on its second day of release. The film, which tells the story of the late US President Ronald Reagan, has earned revenues of $18.4 million so far.
“Alien: Romulus” and “It Ends With Us” rounded out the top five and fourth spots, respectively. “Alien: Romulus” took in $3.55 million from 2,560 locations over the weekend. After a month in theaters, the latest installment in the sci-fi horror franchise from Disney and 20th Century Fox has grossed $96 million domestically and nearly $300 million worldwide.
Meanwhile, “It Ends With Us” grossed $3.5 million from 2,850 theaters in its fifth frame. The film, based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, has grossed $141 million in North America and $288 million worldwide. A sequel is certainly inevitable, but the highly publicized drama between co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who is also directing the film) may prevent that from becoming a reality.
