Beetlejuice 2 becomes a box office hit after budget cuts and a theatrical-only release plan.
Tim Burton’s movie Beetlejuice 2, also known as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, is doing great at the box office, earning $264 million around the world in just two weeks.
This is fantastic news for the director, the actors, and Warner Bros. studio, led by Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who took over the studio in 2022.
The sequel had been talked about for many years, with different ideas being tossed around, like Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. But nothing moved forward until De Luca and Abdy came on board and got the movie made.
Michael De Luca told The New York Times that everyone at the studio is super excited about how well the movie is doing. “People are dancing in the hallways and smiling,” he said, explaining how much a hit movie boosts everyone’s mood.
But making Beetlejuice 2 wasn’t simple. At one point, Warner Bros. thought about putting the movie on their streaming platform, Max, instead of releasing it in theaters. But Tim Burton didn’t like that idea. His movies are known for their unique style and are made to be seen on a big screen.
“He’s the kind of artist whose films need to be seen in theaters,” said Pamela Abdy, explaining why streaming wasn’t the right fit for Beetlejuice 2.
Another issue was the movie’s budget. Initially, it was going to cost about $147 million to make, which was too expensive. A lot of that money would have gone to paying the stars and producers. So, De Luca and Abdy made a deal with Burton: if he could lower the budget to under $100 million, they would support the movie’s release in theaters.
Burton agreed, and they cut the budget down to $99 million. The actors, including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, and Catherine O’Hara, agreed to take less money upfront. Instead, they made deals to earn more if the movie did well at the box office—which it did.
Beetlejuice 2 has been the number-one movie in the U.S. for two weekends in a row, making over $50 million in its second weekend alone. It’s expected to make over $200 million in the U.S. soon.
Warner Bros. and Burton’s decision to stick with a theater release, instead of streaming, turned out to be the right move. Even though many movies go straight to streaming these days, Beetlejuice 2 shows that some films, especially ones with beloved characters and directors, are best enjoyed in theaters.
This isn’t just a win for the studio, but also proof that people still love the theater experience. Fans of the original movie, along with new viewers, are packing theaters to watch this spooky and funny sequel. Beetlejuice 2 proves that some movies are meant to be seen on the big screen.
