Beetlejuice 2 already breaking US box office records

36 years later, Tim Burton still has the magic recipe. His sequel is a hit beyond expectations.

They only said his name twice, and that was enough to make the competition tremble. Beetlejuice made a triumphant return to American cinemas, 36 years later.

This weekend, Beetlejuice 2 took over the box office, grossing $110 million in 4,575 theaters in its first three days of operation. A score well above expectations. And even a record.

Indeed, the horror comedy of Tim Burton ranks second among the biggest September releases of all time, ahead of It: Chapter 2 ($91 million in 2019) and behind the first part, That ($123 million in 2017). Note that all three films are by Warner Bros.

Beetlejuice 2 also achieved the third best start of the year across the Atlantic, behind Deadpool & Wolverine (211.4 million) and Inside Out 2 (154.2 million). A success that also translates internationally, since the feature film that will only be released Wednesday in France, is already approaching 150 million dollars in worldwide receipts. It should be noted that the production cost 100 million dollars. The deal should therefore be juicy for the studio in the end.

For the record, the first Beetlejuice had made 12 times (!) less in 1988, opening at the time at $9 million. The film ended up taking $74.7 million in North America and $170 million worldwide. A box office figure that would be largely surpassed.

It should be noted that the other films were significantly lower this weekend in US theaters. Having long remained at the top of the box office, Deadpool & Wolverine falls to second place and only collects $7.2 million. The film has accumulated $1.3 billion worldwide after 7 weeks.