The screening ofBeetlejuice 2in Venice reveals a true return to form for gothic film auteur Tim Burton, reviving the director’s critical acclaim and commercial success afterDumbo’s unfortunate disappointments in 2019. Arriving 36 years after the 1988 originalBeetlejuicemovie, Burton returns to the cinematic director’s chair as he continues the story of theDeetz family treeand the mischievous Betelgeuse inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice. Following on the heels of his success with Netflix’sWednesdayseason 1 in the fall of 2022,Warner Bros. is officially releasingBeetlejuice 2on September 6, 2024in theaters.
Following its Venice Film Festival premiere on August 08, 2025, the sequel is a resounding success for Tim Burton andBeetlejuice 2’s castwith overwhelmingly positive reviews and outstanding box office projections.Burton’s last movie was the infamous 2019 live-action remake ofDumbo, which received mixed reviews from critics while becoming a box office flop for Disney. The movie holds a 46% score from critics onRotten Tomatoes, and earned only $353 million worldwide against a $170 million budget. Burton took a five-year gap from directing films afterDumbo’s misfire, but has finally returned with his official cinematic comeback.
Beetlejuice 2 Is Already The Critical & Box Office Success That Tim Burton Deserves After Dumbo’s Failures
Beetlejuice 2 Has Great Early Reviews & Impressive Box Office Projections
Rotten Tomatoes has calculated an official78% critics’ scoreafter the Venice Film Festival, confirming the majority ofBeetlejuice 2’s early reviewshave been positive. ConsideringBeetlejuice 2returns Tim Burton to his career origins with his gothic, goofy, practical, handmade, and creatively inspiring approach, the positive reviews for the sequel indicate a welcome return to form for the filmmaker. Thefilm has been praised for Burton’s trademark touch, the cast and crew’s passion being tangible on screen,the performances, with Catherine O’Hara as a standout, and its emotional family-centered story.
Every Tim Burton Movie Ranked, Worst To Best
With the premiere of his latest film Dumbo, we look back at the career of director Tim Burton, from his worst film to his best.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter,box office experts are projectingBeetlejuice 2to have an $80 million domestic opening weekend. Warner Bros. is reportedly projecting a smaller number of $65 to $75 million in North America.Beetlejuice 2’s projections are on par with some of2024’s highest-grossing movies so far, indicating Burton may have his biggest box office hit since 2010’sAlice in Wonderland, which made over $1 billion. Considering Burton already proved himself capable of recapturing his early-career magic inWednesday,Beetlejuice 2’s commercial and critical success are inspiring to see as his big-screen comeback continues.
According to the rule of thumb estimating that a movie must make 2.5 times its production budget to break even,Dumbowould have needed to earn over $425 million to be a commercial success.
What Tim Burton & Michael Keaton Have Said About Dumbo’s Divisive Reactions
Dumbo Almost Ended Tim Burton’s Film Career
In many ways,Dumbois very fitting material for Tim Burton to adapt with his own gothic flare and style. The movie follows an outcast in a fantastical world driven by greed, with poignant themes that connect to many of Burton’s best movies. Unfortunately,Dumbo’s live-action remake didn’t land with the majority of critics or audiences, and couldn’t muster up the samebox office success of Burton’s previous live-action remake,Alice in Wonderland.
Dumbounderperforming critically and commercially on such a big scale nearly marked the end of Burton directing projects for the big screen.
Why Tim Burton Was Originally Fired From Disney
Tim Burton has collaborated with Disney several times over the years, but he was originally fired from the studio in 1984 after a dark short film.
After a series of moderate critical successes and varying box office performances,Dumbounderperforming critically and commercially on such a big scale nearly marked the end of Burton directing projects for the big screen. Ahead ofBeetlejuice 2’s release,Burton disclosed toVarietythat he considered retiring from filmmaking afterDumbo, citing struggles with Hollywood, balancing budgets, and compromises that contributed to the 2019 movie’s disappointment:
After Dumbo, I really didn’t know. I thought that could have been it, really. I could have retired… Oftentimes, when you get into Hollywood, you attempt to be responsible to what you’re doing with the budget and everything else but sometimes you might lose yourself a little bit. [Beetlejuice Beetlejuice] reinforced the feeling for me that it’s important that I do what I want to do, because then everybody will benefit.
AfterDumbo, Burton cut ties with Disney – and not for the first time in his career. In 2022, Burton discussed withDeadlinemore of his struggles with Disney and its focus on big tentpoles over independent projects, explaining thathis experience onDumbowas comparable to the plot of the movie itself, “working in this big horrible circus.“However, afterWednesdaycame along and Burton felt his creativity and enthusiasm in the industry being revitalized, he used that momentum to makeBeetlejuice 2, returning him to the smaller, more self-driven, creatively inspired projects that defined his early career.
Michael Keaton portrayed the villainous V.A. Vandevere inDumbo, his fourth collaboration with Tim Burton afterBeetlejuice(1988),Batman(1989), andBatman Returns(1992).
With Michael Keaton receiving widespread acclaim for his performance as Betelgeuse inBeetlejuice 2, the actor has also reflected on his last collaboration with Burton. Candidly, the actor told theNew York Timesthat he “let [Burton] down on one movie,” referring toDumbo.Keaton elaborated, “I was clueless on Dumbo. I sucked on Dumbo.“The actor-director duo have echoed disappointments inDumbo, but united in praisingBeetlejuice 2as a triumphant return to the type of movie they personally enjoy making. This approach certainly paid off, giving Keaton and Burton their first critically acclaimed box office hit sinceBatman Returns.
Beetlejuice 2 Finally Returns Tim Burton To His Most Iconic Movie Era & Origins
Tim Burton Goes Back To The Practical Effects, Ingenuity & Heart Of His Early Movies
The 2010s gradually saw Tim Burton depart from the filmmaking approach that defined his successful early movies likeBeetlejuice,Edward Scissorhands,Ed Wood, hisBatmanfilms, andBig Fish.These films highlighted the trademarks, themes, and creative design that became synonymous with Tim Burton as an autuer, from practical effects to poignant outcast-driven narratives to the whimsical macabre of his worlds. But, that started to wane asBurton took on bigger CGI-heavy, studio-influenced projects likeAlice in Wonderland,Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, andDumbo.
Beetlejuice 2feels like proper Tim Burton again, not the “brand” that studios may have adjusted to fit big-budget visions.
That isn’t to say that he had no great films during this time, withBig EyesandFrankenweeniebeing standouts, but that the Burton of the ’80s and ’90s began to fade, just as the director himself noted to Variety.Dumbowas perhaps Burton’s biggest departure yet from his distinctive creative approach, which is one reason whyBeetlejuice 2’s return to practical effects, a self-reflective story of outcasts and bizarre macabre worlds, and a playfulness in filmmaking is so refreshing.Beetlejuice 2feels like proper Tim Burton again, not the “brand” that studios may have adjusted to fit big-budget visions.
Beetlejuice 2 Revives A 42-Year-Old Tim Burton Trademark Missing From His Last 3 Movies
Tim Burton has confirmed that a trademark of his filmmaking will be back on display in Beetlejuice 2, which was largely absent from his recent movies.
Beetlejuice 2’s Success Is Extremely Promising For Tim Burton’s Next Movie
Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman Is More Primed To Be A Hit
AfterBeetlejuice 2,Tim Burton is returning to his B-movie sci-fi horror inspirationswith aremake of 1958’sAttack of the 50 Foot Woman. Burton’s most critically acclaimed movie is 1994’sEd Wood, which pays tribute to the titular filmmaker, the era of sci-fi horror movies in the 1950s, and the passionate spirit of outcasts in Hollywood.Attack of the 50 Foot Womantakes Burton back to this focus and passion from his work in the 1990s, which has far more promising prospects afterBeetlejuice 2successfully brought him back to his beloved ‘80s filmmaking approach.
78%
46%
48%
$353 million
64%
60%
$296 million
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Cast
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
