After 36 years of waiting, the juice is finally loose again in 㽶ƵֱBeetlejuice Beetlejuice,㽶Ƶֱ this time racking up $110 million in its premiere weekend.
The long-awaited Tim Burton sequel is the third-best opening weekend of the year, only behind box office triumphs 㽶ƵֱInside Out 2㽶Ƶֱ and 㽶ƵֱDeadpool & Wolverine.㽶Ƶֱ
Michael Keaton returns as the titular spirit and Catherine O㽶ƵֱHara and Winona Ryder also reprise their roles as Delia and Lydia Deetz, with newcomer Jenna Ortega playing the latter㽶Ƶֱs daughter, Astrid. Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci and Justin Theroux round out the cast.
The Warner Bros. sequel is the second-highest grossing September movie of all time, only behind 2017㽶Ƶֱs 㽶ƵֱIt,㽶Ƶֱ which opened with a staggering $123 million. The 2019 sequel 㽶ƵֱIt Chapter 2㽶Ƶֱ opened with $91 million and previously held the No. 2 spot for September openings.
The original 㽶ƵֱBeetlejuice㽶Ƶֱ film earned a mere $8 million in its opening weekend in 1988, unadjusted for inflation, but went on to make $77 million in theaters domestically as it became a cult classic.
㽶ƵֱThere㽶Ƶֱs life in the afterlife,㽶Ƶֱ said Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros. 㽶ƵֱMany things have to happen simultaneously and all the stars are aligning.㽶Ƶֱ
Goldstein, who confirmed the film㽶Ƶֱs budget of $100 million, said the studio expected an opening weekend of between $80 million and $90 million. Given the early success, he said the film 㽶Ƶֱmay get really long legs㽶Ƶֱ with Halloween season approaching.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, said September is 㽶Ƶֱnot known as a hotbed of $100 million blockbuster debuts,㽶Ƶֱ but attributed part of the film㽶Ƶֱs success to Burton㽶Ƶֱs singular style and the star cast.
In addition to the returning cast, Ortega, who starred in the Netflix series 㽶ƵֱWednesday㽶Ƶֱ about the Addams family character, likely brought in younger audiences.
㽶ƵֱIf all this was were a nostalgia play for people who saw the first movie, it wouldn㽶Ƶֱt really necessarily work,㽶Ƶֱ Dergarabedian said. 㽶ƵֱPart of the magic formula of 㽶ƵֱBeetlejuice Beetlejuice㽶Ƶֱ is having a great cast of a revered generation of actors and then having young actors who are making their own mark.㽶Ƶֱ
The electric opening weekend kicks off the fall movie season with a bang after a sleepy Labor Day weekend and a relatively slow August that saw newer films struggle as holdover movies ruled the box office.
Beyond 㽶ƵֱBeetlejuice,㽶Ƶֱ 㽶ƵֱDeadpool & Wolverine㽶Ƶֱ placed second on the box office charts, making $7.2 million in its seventh weekend. Its cumulative domestic total is now $614 million.
㽶ƵֱReagan,㽶Ƶֱ the Dennis Quaid-led biopic about the 40th U.S. president, continues to beat expectations. Climbing the ranks to third place in its second weekend, the film made $5.2 million.
㽶ƵֱAlien: Romulus㽶Ƶֱ and 㽶ƵֱIt Ends With Us,㽶Ƶֱ two more holdovers from the summer, came in fourth and fifth place, respectively. The sci-fi horror film brought in $3.9 million and the romance drama brought in $3.8 million.
The only other new release of the weekend to make it on the box office rankings was 㽶ƵֱThe Greatest of All Time,㽶Ƶֱ an Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film. The movie stars Joseph Vijay and was directed by Venkat Prabhu, who is known for directing and writing other Indian action films. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
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1. 㽶ƵֱBeetlejuice Beetlejuice,㽶Ƶֱ $110 million.
2. 㽶ƵֱDeadpool & Wolverine,㽶Ƶֱ $7.2 million.
3. 㽶ƵֱReagan,㽶Ƶֱ $5.2 million.
4. 㽶ƵֱAlien: Romulus,㽶Ƶֱ $3.9 million.
5. 㽶ƵֱIt Ends With Us,㽶Ƶֱ $3.8 million
6. 㽶ƵֱThe Forge,㽶Ƶֱ $2.9 million.
7. 㽶ƵֱTwisters,㽶Ƶֱ $2.3 million.
8. 㽶ƵֱBlink Twice,㽶Ƶֱ $2.1 million.
9. 㽶ƵֱThe Greatest of All Time,㽶Ƶֱ $2 million.
10. 㽶ƵֱDespicable Me 4,㽶Ƶֱ $1.8 million.
Kaitlyn Huamani, The Associated Press