Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was originally going to be a streaming exclusive with a larger budget, until director Tim Burton stepped in. Serving as a follow-up to his 1988 cult classic, the sequel follows three generations of the Deetz family as they return to Winter River and accidentally open a portal to the Afterlife. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice features the return of several actors from the original film, including Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, and has been a big hit in theaters since its release earlier this month.

A new report from The New York Times now reveals that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was originally positioned as a Max streaming exclusive. As Warner Bros. Entertainment CEO Pamela Abdy recalls, Burton was not onboard with his sequel not getting a theatrical release:

“That was never going to work for Tim. You’re talking about a visionary artist whose films demand to be seen on a big screen.”

The projected budget for the film, however, was estimated to be $147 million, due in large part to producer fees and star salaries. Because of Burton’s somewhat spotty track record at the box office over the last 15 years, this wasn’t going to fly. Abdy and Michael De Luca, Chairperson of Warner Bros. Entertainment, agreed to give Beetlejuice Beetlejuice a theatrical release, but only if the budget could come down to under $100 million. Burton and his agent, Mike Simpson, then set about cutting costs wherever they could, starting with salaries.

“Two months went by where every day the movie almost died,” recalls Simpson. But, in the end, Burton himself took a pay cut, and Simpson would eventually get stars Keaton, O’Hara, Ryder, and newcomer Jenna Ortega (who plays Lydia’s daughter, Astrid Deetz) to also take reduced salaries in exchange for larger pieces of the film’s back end.

While this maneuvering and negotiating was taking place, Abdy and De Luca were pumping hundreds of thousands into Beetlejuice Beetlejuice pre-production, which Simpson said “showed real guts, especially for two executives who were fairly new to their jobs.” In the end, these salary cuts combined with tax incentives got the sequel’s budget down to $99 million.

What A Theatrical Release Means For Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Tim Burton Made The Right Choice To Push For Theatrical

Considering how the Burton sequel has been performing in theaters, he evidently made the right choice. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice reviews have been generally positive from critics, and the film currently enjoys a respectable 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score comes in higher at 82%, and the movie has a B+ on CinemaScore. On Metacritic, the sequel has scored a less impressive 62/100 with critics and 6.5/10 with audiences, though this isn’t surprising as Metacritic scores almost always come in a little lower compared to Rotten Tomatoes.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘s box office figures have been even more impressive. The film pulled in $111 million domestically in its opening weekend, with a domestic total that now stands at $188 million. Internationally, the film has thus far grossed $76 million, bringing its worldwide total to $264 million. Only two weekends in, then, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has almost certainly broken even, and the stars who took pay cuts in favor of more of the back end are likely in for some big paydays.

Other actors who appear in the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice cast include: Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, Arthur Conti, and Burn Gorman.

How Beetlejuice 2 Compares To The Original Critically & Commercially

Burton’s 1988 Film Remains A Cult Classic

Other than perhaps Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Beetlejuice arguably marks the start of Burton’s heyday as a filmmaker, coming just before Batman (1989), for which he reunited with Keaton, Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), and Ed Wood (1994). A step down from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice‘s budget, the original was made for only $15 million, and it became a success promptly after release.

The film ultimately grossed just under $75 million domestically and only about $172,000 internationally. Interestingly, the performance of the sequel, while an improvement overseas, does suggest that the franchise doesn’t have the same appeal internationally as in North America.

Accounting for inflation, Beetlejuice would cost roughly $40 million to make today, with its box office haul coming in at just under $200 million.

Beetlejuice vs. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Critical Comparison

Title
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Metacritic Score
Metacritic User Score

Beetlejuice (1988)
82%
82%
71/100
7.8/10

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
77%
82%
62/100
6.5/10

Critically, as seen in the chart above, the first Beetlejuice edges out the sequel in most respects. On Rotten Tomatoes, the 1988 original movie features an 83% score from critics, a clear win, but the audience scores are, as of writing, an exact match. Considering audience scores are still being added for the sequel, however, it’s still entirely possible this result will change. On Metacritic, Beetlejuice scored 71/100 with critics and 7.8/10 with users, both markedly better scores than the sequel.

Our Take On Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Theatrical Release

Why Warner Bros.’ Hesitation Is Understandable

Considering Burton’s last major box office hit came in 2010 with Alice in Wonderland and the first Beetlejuice film is 36 years old, it’s not surprising that WB were unwilling to commit to making a sequel at a $147 million budget level.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Key Facts Breakdown

Budget
$99 million

Box Office (First Week)
$264,306,079

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score
77%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
82%

Clearly, though, love for Burton’s 1988 original remains, especially in North America, and the theatrical release was ultimately the right choice. This is especially true because an extra $48 million for the film’s budget seemingly wouldn’t have gone toward a particularly audacious sequence or more effects, and would have mostly covered salaries. If Beetlejuice Beetlejuice had forgone a theatrical release and debuted on Max instead with a higher budget level, it likely would have come and gone with little fanfare.