Posted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Less is More for the Ghost With the Most
The writers of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice might be writing the ghost with the most, but that doesn't mean he's suddenly become the main character.
Article Summary
- Reviews for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are positive, offering hope for Warner Bros. amid recent box office struggles.
- The film, despite its title, features Beetlejuice as a chaotic antagonist, not the lead character.
- Director Tim Burton and writers Gough & Millar focused on keeping Beetlejuice impactful but not overwhelming.
- Opening weekend fan enthusiasm is crucial for the film's success amid strong competition.
The early reviews for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are coming out, and they are trending more on the positive side. It's also looking like the film could be the film that brings Warner Bros. out of the box office funk that they have been in for the past couple of months. While all of the other studios were having a pretty damn good summer, Warner Bros. stumbled on nearly every single level, and they need to end the fall on a high note, or everything is going to fall apart. When it comes to these very late-after-the-fact sequels, it can be hard for the people involved to hold back and not make the film overly self-indulgent for the fans, mostly because the film wouldn't be here if it wasn't for years or decades of fan demand.
However, it sounds like everyone involved with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice knew what worked the first time around and wasn't keen on fixing what wasn't broken. In this case, it meant that while this film might be called Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the titular character isn't the star of the show. Writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar recently spoke to Total Film about finding the right balance within the script. Gough specifically cited that, "You want to make Beetlejuice the lead, and he's not. He's literally the antagonist, an agent of chaos, who comes into the story. The movie's called Beetlejuice, right? So, I think there is always that instinct to try to do that, but we very much tried to stay true to the original."
- © 2024 Warner Bros. Ent. Inc. All rights reserved. Photo Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh. MICHAEL KEATON and Director TIM BURTON on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures' comedy, "BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE," a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
- © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. MICHAEL KEATON as Beetlejuice in Warner Bros. Pictures' comedy, "BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE," a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
- © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. (L-R) WINONA RYDER as Lydia and MICHAEL KEATON as Beetlejuice in Warner Bros. Pictures' comedy, "BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE," a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
- © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. MICHAEL KEATON as Beetlejuice in Warner Bros. Pictures' comedy, "BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE," a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Millar went on to say that director Tim Burton"is very conscious of that too. We just kept paring Beetlejuice back. He's a great character to write, but a little goes a long way. So, when he is on screen, he makes a lot more impact. It's really choosing the moments and really making those special." While the critical reception will go a long way to get people on the fence to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, it'll be fans that really get people in the door that opening weekend. Then, after ranting about how much they enjoyed the film to friends, they'll force them to watch the first film and drag them to see it again on the second weekend. That's how this film could end up having legs throughout the rest of the month. However, there is plenty of competition and it sounds like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is far from perfect, so getting people in the door with so many other options on the horizon beyond opening weekend might be harder than Warner Bros. thinks.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Summary, Cast List, Release Date
Beetlejuice is back! Oscar-nominated, singular creative visionary Tim Burton and Oscar nominee and star Michael Keaton reunite for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to Burton's award-winning Beetlejuice.
Keaton returns to his iconic role alongside Oscar nominee Winona Ryder (Stranger Things, Little Women) as Lydia Deetz and two-time Emmy winner Catherine O'Hara (Schitt$ Creek, Corpse Bride) as Delia Deetz, with new cast members Justin Theroux (Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, The Leftovers), Monica Bellucci (Spectre, The Matrix films), Arthur Conti (House of the Dragon) in his feature film debut, with Emmy nominee Jenna Ortega (Wednesday, Scream VI) as Lydia's daughter, Astrid, and Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (Poor Things, At Eternity's Gate).
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.
Burton, a genre unto himself, directs from a screenplay by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (Wednesday), story by Gough & Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith (The LEGO® Batman Movie), based on characters created by Michael McDowell & Larry Wilson. The film's producers are Marc Toberoff, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Tommy Harper, and Burton, with Sara Desmond, Katterli Frauenfelder, Gough, Millar, Brad Pitt, Larry Wilson, Laurence Senelick, Pete Chiappetta, Andrew Lary, Anthony Tittanegro, Grahame-Smith, and David Katzenberg executive producing.
A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, will be released only in theaters and IMAX on September 6, 2024, nationwide and internationally beginning 4 September 2024. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
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