Beetlejuice Beetlejuice now looking at a $100 million plus opening

UPDATE: According to Deadline, the Friday numbers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are coming in much higher than anticipated. With a $42 million gross, Tim Burton’s sequel should be able to blow past $100 million for the weekend. The news is less rosy for the weekend’s other new release, A24’s The Front Room, which grossed a poor $600k on course for a $1.5 million opening. The controversial Reagan biopic starring Dennis Quaid seems to be performing surprisingly well, with it on track for a weekend in the $5 million range.

ORIGINAL: So often, long-belated sequels wind up as disappointments, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Arriving 36 years after the release of the original, the sequel has been receiving positive reviews, and it’s already become a box-office success, taking in $13 million in Thursday night previews. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is poised to have a wonderful opening weekend as well, with current projections looking at a $90-$95 million opening. It’s not quite the $145 million which was estimated earlier in the week, but still very impressive.

All this box office success is likely ringing the sequel bell, but director Tim Burton has already cast doubt on a possible Beetlejuice 3. “Well, if [the same] time frame goes on, I’ll be about 100,” Burton said. “So maybe. I doubt it.” As for why now was the right time for a Beetlejuice sequel, Burton explained that it all came down to Winona Ryder’s character. “Well, because the Lydia character (Ryder) interested me,” Burton said. “Getting older is where you start thinking about what happens in life. [She] starts as a cool teenager. Relationships… Do you have kids? What are they like? What do you like? How do you change? These are all things that I know and experience. So it felt more right to make this now, rather than back in, like, 1989.“

The film has been praised as a return to form for Burton, with our own Chris Bumbray calling it the director’s “most energetic, playful, and creative film in years.” He continued, “Truth be told, I was wary of a Beetlejuice sequel, as I figured they should leave well enough alone after thirty-six years. But, once Danny Elfman’s score kicked in, and I got a look at returning production designer Bo Welch’s sets, I was all in on a sequel I had a total blast with. This one is a very pleasant surprise. Here’s hoping this isn’t the last time Burton says Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.” You can check out the rest of Bumbray’s review right here.

Here’s the official synopsis for Beetlejuice Beetljuice: “Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.” The sequel is now playing in theaters, so be sure to let us know what you think of the film!