The Juice is on the loose.
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Tim Burton’s long-awaited sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice grossed a promising $13 million in Thursday and Wednesday previews at the North American box office.
The Warner Bros. event pic is on course to deliver one of the biggest September openings of all time with anywhere from $90 million to $110 million in its domestic debut, based on tracking data and advanced ticket sales. Tracking services show the film opening to $100 million-plus, but Warners is erring on the side of caution.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice delivered the second-biggest September preview number of all behind fellow Waners’ R-rated blockbuster It , which took in $13.5 million on its way to a $123 million opening in early September 2017, not adjusted for inflation. It , based on a Stephen King novel, remains the record holder for biggest September opening. ( Beettlejuice Beetlejuice can claim the biggest September preview number for a PG-13 title).
The second-biggest September opening belongs to 2019’s It Chapter Two ($91.1 million), followed by Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75.4 million), which was released amid the pandemic in 2021. After that, the next biggest September opening is in the mid-$50 million range.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice collected $3 million from fan screenings in select Imax and other large format screens on Wednesday, followed by $10 million from regular Thursday previews.
Burton’s long-in-the-works sequel opens 36 years after Beetlejuice graced the big screen and is counting on that film’s enduring status as a cult classic to lure in audiences across all age groups. The original Beetlejuice grossed $74 million at the box office, or more than $195 when adjusted for inflation.
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The $100 film sees the return of Michael Keaton as the ghoulish prankster, alongside Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara. Franchise newcomers include Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti and Willem Dafoe.
This time out, Lydia Deetz (Ryder) and her family return home after a tragedy only to find that her daughter, Astrid (Ortega), has opened a portal to the afterlife. (The teaser trailer appropriately features Keaton declaring to an astonished Ryder, “The juice is loose.”)
“Tapping into the maniacally playful spirit of one of his enduring golden-era hits, the director seems reinvigorated. He serves up comparable tonic as well for two actors who were a big part not just of the original Beetlejuice but also of Burton’s Batman movies and Edward Scissorhands : Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder , respectively,” writes The Hollywood Reporter chief film critic David Rooney in his review of the sequel, which staged its world premiere at the glitzy Venice Film Festival.
The film’s current critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes is a fresh 76 percent.
Burton directed the sequel from a script by Wednesday showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, with Seth Grahame-Smith credited for his work on the film’s story.
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