The 2024 Venice Film Festival began with a splash of gothic flair as Tim Burton’s eagerly anticipated sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” opened to a three-minute standing ovation. The applause could have continued even longer, but the festival organizers dimmed the lights, ushering Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Jenna Ortega off the stage after they graciously soaked in the cheers.
The star-studded cast handled the moment with ease, with Keaton and Burton drawing extra cheers as they signed autographs for fans. One fan’s request for Burton to sketch her next tattoo was politely declined. Meanwhile, Jenna Ortega, stunning in a red Dior gown, embraced her role as the franchise’s newest star, taking selfies with fans in the lobby. Before the screening, the 21-year-old actress led a standing ovation for Sigourney Weaver, who received an honorary Golden Lion.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” Warner Bros.’ latest fantasy-comedy-horror offering, marks the return of Burton’s beloved characters to the big screen 36 years after the original “Beetlejuice” became a cult classic. The sequel reunites Keaton, Ryder, and O’Hara with a new cast that includes Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe. This time, the story follows Ryder’s character’s rebellious teenage daughter, played by Ortega, as she uncovers a model of the town in the attic, reopens the portal to the afterlife, and once again unleashes Keaton’s Betelgeuse.
The journey to this sequel has been a long one, with the first discussions happening shortly after the 1988 film’s success, which grossed $74.7 million. Over the years, several ideas were floated, including a storyline where Beetlejuice goes to Hawaii, but it wasn’t until 2011 that Seth Grahame-Smith joined as a writer. Even then, the project faced delays until it was officially greenlit in early 2022, with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment producing alongside Warner Bros.
The extended wait seems to have been worth it. Early box office projections suggest “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” could earn between $65-80 million during its opening weekend in the US.
In an interview with Variety just before the festival, Burton reflected on how the project revitalized his passion for filmmaking after the lukewarm reception of his 2019 live-action “Dumbo”. “I thought that could have been it, really. I could have retired, or become… well, I wouldn’t have become an animator again,” Burton said. “But this did reenergize me. Oftentimes, when you get into Hollywood, you try to be responsible to what you’re doing with the budget and everything else but sometimes you might lose yourself a little bit. This reinforced the feeling for me that it’s important that I do what I want to do, because then everybody will benefit.”
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