After being unveiled at South by Southwest earlier this month, A24’s Death of a Unicorn gallops into theaters March 28th. The latest chapter in the eat the rich comedy horror genre comes from writer/director Alex Scharfman with Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega headlining. Costars include Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, and Richard E. Grant.
Critical reaction is mixed with 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 56 Metacritic. Better reviews could’ve bolstered the buzz. A debut in the neighborhood of Abigail ($10.2 million) is certainly feasible. There is competition from The Woman in the Yard (a more serious scary offering) that could keep genre fans away. I’ll say Unicorn falls under $10 million unless Ortega’s Wednesday fans turn out in larger force than I’m anticipating.
Death of a Unicorn opening weekend prediction: $8.8 million
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the 36 years in the making sequel to the inventive original, finds ways to capture the spirit of what long ago preceded it. On the other hand, Tim Burton’s follow-up is just 12 minutes longer than the first. Unfortunately it feels about 30 minutes longer as it’s packed with too many characters and storylines. Busier is not better in this paranormal case.
Speaking of the paranormal, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) was last seen as the death obsessed teen back in ’88 who was able to see the ghosts of the dearly departed couple who owned the house she moved into. Now she hosts a popular talk show where she helps guests conjure lost loved ones. Lydia has a conniving boyfriend who’s also her producer (a delightfully smarmy Justin Theroux) and an estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) at boarding school. She also has visions of the demented “bio-exorcist” squared title character (Michael Keaton) who tried to marry her way back when.
When Lydia’s father Charles (Jeffrey Jones, not in the film but his character cleverly is) passes, Lydia and her unorthodox posse travel back to quaint Winter River, Connecticut for the funeral. That includes oddly artistic stepmom Delia (Catherine O’Hara). Astrid, who doesn’t believe in ghosts despite the Deetz history but shares mom’s downbeat worldview, meets an intriguing outcast and potential love interest Jeremy (Arthur Conti). She is additionally primed for introduction for Mr. Juice if his name is iconically uttered three times.
Beetlejuice has his own familial issues. Ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci) is stalking him in the afterlife so he’s desperately looking to join the physical world and wed Lydia after their first ceremony was indefinitely postponed. Willem Dafoe turns up as a detective in the hereafter. His qualifications to be a sleuth? He’s a former B actor who played one on TV!
There’s a lot going on in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and the first act is a slight slog to establish all the subplots. Once that occurs, I thought one in particular could’ve been jettisoned completely and that’s the ‘Juice/Delores angle. Dafoe is having a ball but his screen time feels superfluous.
Some of what going on is reminiscent of the darkly amusing pleasures that Beetlejuice brought. Ryder and O’Hara (who’s always a joy) slip effortlessly into their characters and Ortega is a fine addition (she’s had her practice on Netflix’s Wednesday which Burton is a creative force behind). There’s plenty of fun PG-13 level gross visual effects and of course Keaton is reliable for some highlights.
So where are Barbara (Geena Davis) and Richard (Alec Baldwin) – the Maitlands from part 1? The sequel cheekily explains their absence in a flippant manner. I kind of appreciated that this backstory isn’t delved into. After all, this film is plenty crowded. That said, the Maitlands were the audience’s conduit to the bizarro world that Burton and company constructed. It’s an aspect that is missing here. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is on track intermittently even if its soul can feel departed.
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
It was surprising when the Venice organizers announced that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (out September 6th) would open their film festival which kicked off today. The long-in-development sequel (as in 36 years) brings Tim Burton back in the director’s chair with Michael Keaton reprising his iconic role as the ghost with the most. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara return with Jenna Ortega (who stars in Netflix’s Wednesday from Burton), Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe entering the macabre universe.
Projections have Beetlejuice squared circling big numbers at the box office. The Italian premiere announcement has prognosticators pondering the awards viability. The 1988 original earned a sole Oscar nod and it won Best Makeup (before it was Makeup and Hairstyling), beating out a worthy competitor in Coming to America.
Most of the reviews for the follow-up are in the plus column with 21 out of the current 27 sporting red on Rotten Tomatoes. Many are saying it’s a welcome return to form for Burton. It could certainly land another Makeup mention though defeating Dune: Part Two won’t be an easy chore. I wouldn’t totally rule out Production Design or Visual Effects as possibilities.
Anything beyond that is unlikely as the same probably holds true for its Golden Globes chances in Musical/Comedy. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue with frequency now that Venice is underway…
Lionsgate is seeking viewers for Miller’s Girl when it opens on January 26th, but the challenge could be audiences even knowing it exists. The pic from debut director/writer Jade Halley Bartlett stars Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega. The trailer might remind one of a late 80s/early 90s style Fatal Attraction clone. Costars include Gideon Adlon, Bashir Salahuddin, Dagmara Domińczyk, and Christine Adams.
With a coproduction credit from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Girl hopes that Ortega’s Wednesday fans will turn up to watch her on a Friday-Sunday at the multiplex. I haven’t seen a theater count for this yet and that could alter my forecast. The marketing campaign seems scant and my prediction reflects it. Miller’s might not be crossing $3 million.
Miller’s Girl opening weekend prediction: $2.2 million
In January 2022, Scream successfully resurrected the franchise that Wes Craven began in 1996. A sequel was approved immediately and Scream VI slashes into multiplexes March 10th. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are back directing with Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega (whose star has risen thanks to Wednesday), Hayden Panettiere, and Courtney Cox reprising their roles from prior installments. Other costars include Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Tony Revolori, and Samara Weaving. For the first time, Neve Campbell is not among the cast.
In 2011, Scream 4 marked the financial nadir of the bunch when it made only $38 million domestically. A silent decade between entries got the nostalgia juices flowing as last year’s Scream took in $30 million in its first three days and $81 million total stateside. With a B+ Cinemascore (quite solid for a horror pic), anticipation for this sequel should be high.
Scream VI appears poised to challenge the record opening weekend for the series. That belongs to Scream 3 with $34 million and tracking suggests Ghostface could wield the power to top that number. I’ll forecast it manages to get there and perhaps top $40 million.
Scream VI opening weekend prediction: $42.6 million
My posts covering actors who had an impactful 2022 continues with a new Scream Queen.
Before we get to her, I came close to giving Jamie Lee Curtis her own dedicated write-up. The OG SQ might nab a first Oscar nomination for her supporting work in Everything Everywhere All at Once and she finished up her iconic role (probably right?) as Laurie Strode in Halloween Ends.
Just as Curtis was concluding her participation in a vaunted horror franchise, 20-year-old Jenna Ortega was making her presence known in another. Some viewers first saw her on the CW series Jane the Virgin. In 2021, Ortega drew acclaim for her more grown-up performance in the HBO Max drama The Fallout. It was this year that she broke out in another genre via January’s Scream. With over $80 million in its domestic coffers, she’ll be back in March for Scream VI.
More kudos followed in March for Ti West’s exploitation homage X. Ortega played a crew member on a porn set who gets more than she bargained for out of the experience. X marked the spot for many critics with its 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ortega’s frighteningly good ’22 went into overdrive with Netflix’s Wednesday. From Tim Burton, the blend of comedy and horror and its 8 episodes cast the actress as Wednesday Addams from the The Addams Family. Debuting last month, it shot to #1 on the streamer in over 80 countries and holds the record for most hours viewed for a series in the first week of release. In others words, it’s a phenomenon every day of the week.
Needless to say, a second season is already in the planning stages. With her Scream sequel on deck and a role in the thriller Finestkind with Ben Foster and Tommy Lee Jones coming up, Ortega should continue to make her spooky presence known. My Year Of posts will continue with another actor who started out on the CW and had a whole lot shaking on the silver screen this year…
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