Beetlejuice 2 has touched new heights at the box office in its opening weekend. This sequel to the famous 1988 horror-comedy, which has come after 36 years, has surprised the audience and critics with its spectacular opening. This time the film, with Tim Burton‘s imagination, has rocked the old stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara along with new faces Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci. The film has been produced for $100 million and it is expected that it will have to earn more than $250 million to make a profit at the box office.
According to Variety, Beetlejuice has started its three-day opening weekend with a collection of $97 million till Saturday morning. With this, the film has grabbed the No. 1 position at the domestic box office. This figure comes after a spectacular opening day of $41.5 million, proving to be the second-best September opening day at the box office after 2017’s It ($50.4 million). It also set a new record for Tim Burton, who surpassed the opening day of 2010’s Alice in Wonderland ($40.8 million).
The film’s projected three-day total gives it the second-best September opening weekend of all time, although it falls in third place behind big names like It ($123 million) and Inside Out 2 ($154.2 million). For 2024, this also proves to be Beetlejuice’s third-best opening weekend, coming in behind Deadpool and Wolverine ($211.4 million). With this stellar start, it’s clear that Beetlejuice has unleashed a new wave at the box office.
What This Opening Weekend Means for Beetlejuice 2
The success of 1988’s “Beetlejuice” is now being revisited in a new light. This week’s sequel “Beetlejuice” has grossed more in just three days than its predecessor’s entire run. In years past, the original film grossed around $75 million worldwide, while this new version earned more than $20 million domestically in its opening weekend. Adjusted for inflation, the 1988 gross is equivalent to about $202.5 million today, a significant achievement for the sequel.
While the original Beetlejuice’s international release wasn’t particularly impressive, its presence in the domestic market made a significant impact. This time around, “Beetlejuice’s” opening indicates that the film is not only appealing to its domestic audience but may also do well in the international market. When international collections are released on Sunday, it will likely show an even better performance for the film.
Despite the film’s comedic style and nostalgic story, which often struggles in translation, Beetlejuice is performing quite well. Its success in North America clearly shows that audiences continue to have a certain enthusiasm and affection for the old franchise. Thus, the opening weekend of “Beetlejuice” shows that the film is living up to its audience’s expectations and is expected to receive a good response in the upcoming weeks as well.
Beetlejuice 2 rocks the box office, ending the summer lull
After a string of lukewarm movie releases over the past few weekends, Beetlejuice has created a new buzz at the box office, beating the lackluster challenges of the previous summer and winning over audiences. Although this down time between summer and holiday movies is likely to be a bit of a lull, Beetlejuice’s explosive comeback has excited moviegoers. In the coming weeks, a new game may begin with Transformers One, releasing on September 13th, but in the meantime, the competition for the top box office rankings will continue between smaller but interesting genre films like Speak No Evil and Never Let Go.
Source: Variety
