Box Office Preview: ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Eyes Near-Record $100M-$110M September Opening

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is set to cast one of biggest magic spells of all time at the September box office.

Filmmaker Tim Burton and Warner Bros.‘ highly anticipated sequel is expected to gross anywhere from $100 million to $110 million in its domestic debut, based on tracking data and advanced ticket sales. Warner Bros. is remaining more conservative in sticking with $80 million-plus.

If tracking is correct, the fantasy horror-comedy will boast the second-best September opening of all time behind New Line and Warners’ blockbuster It, which launched to $123 million in early September 2017, not adjusted for inflation.

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.

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.

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 THR 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 79 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.