Over three and a half decades after the original made a killing at the box office, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice appears in theaters on September 6th. Tim Burton returns to direct the macabre comedy with Michael Keaton reprising his title role as the demented bio-exorcist. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are back as Lydia and Delia Deetz with Jenna Ortega (hot off Netflix’s Wednesday from exec producer Burton) joining as third gen Deetz. Other newcomers to the franchise are Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe.
The long-in-development sequel received a high-profile slot kicking off the Venice Film Festival this week. Reviews are mostly fresh with many critics saying it’s a return to form for its filmmaker. In 1988, Beetlejuice grossed $74 million domestically and was the 10th highest earner of the year. Since then, its reputation has grown as a classic genre mixup of humor and genial horror.
This should succeed in bringing in 36 years worth of fans and it doesn’t hurt that Ortega is present. Tracking continues to tick up from $65-75 million as it’s now expected to rise above well above that and maybe even in nine figures. The domestic September opening weekend records are held by 2017’s It ($123 million) and its 2019 sequel It Chapter Two with $91 million. Third place belongs to the MCU’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings at $75 million.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice should face no trouble achieving second place and it could absolutely come in first. The momentum appears real and I’ll say it gets beyond the century mark.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opening weekend prediction: $115.7 million
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