UPDATED: NRG just reported an $80M opening weekend for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
PREVIOUS: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited Warner Bros sequel to the 1988 Tim Burton-directed haunted comedy starring Michael Keaton, landed on three-week tracking this AM with an outlook of $65M-$75M — but don’t be surprised if it does more for there’s too much fuel on this building box office bonfire.
Recent box office history has shown that these long-delayed sequels — i.e. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Bad Boys for Life, Top Gun: Maverick — have great theatrical potential. Note, no one is seeing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in the vicinity of Force Awakens or Maverick yet. One astute industry source remarked, “This looks bigger than Despicable Me 4.” That pic posted a 3-day opening of $75M and 5-day of $122.6M last month and has banked $332.6 million domestic and $808.5 million worldwide.
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The movie, which also headlines Wednesday star Jenna Ortega, is attractive with women, over-25 first and under-25 next. You’ll remember Ortega also propelled Scream VI to a franchise domestic record opening of $44.4M.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is 23 days out from release, debuting on that magical post-Labor Day weekend (first frame in September), which Warner Bros has turned into a hotbed for horror movies in recent years with titles like the IT and The Nun franchises. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will have its world premiere as the Venice Film Festival opening-night pic, and the bullhorn on the film will only grow louder. Watch a trailer here:
The original Burton movie opened to $8M on March 30, 1988, and ended its domestic run at $74.7M. It became a huge hit in the home aftermarket in the salad days of the videocassette era.
Wednesday creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough penned Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The sequel sees the return of the original pic’s Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara with Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Danny DeVito and Justin Theroux joining in the new chapter.
Warner Bros’ owns the top two biggest opening in September with IT ($123.4M) and It: Chapter Two ($91M).