Beetlejuice (franchise)

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Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice logo.svg
Official franchise logo
Created by
Owner Warner Bros. Entertainment
Years1988–present
Films and television
Film(s)
Animated series Beetlejuice (1989–1991)
Theatrical presentations
Musical(s) Beetlejuice (2018–present)
Games
Video game(s) List of video games
Audio
Soundtrack(s)

Beetlejuice is an American dark fantasy comedy horror media franchise that originated with the film Beetlejuice (1988). The franchise centers around a devious trickster entity named Betelgeuse (after the star due to being part of the constellation named after the Greek god Orion, due that it means "the hand of Orion", who is famous for his hunting prowess and desire to kill every animal on Earth; the name is pronounced and often spelled "Beetlejuice") who can either be summoned or banished by saying his name three times. Betelgeuse's precise nature differs according to the medium he appears in. He has been depicted as a ghost, a demon and a supernatural monster, with motivations ranging from a love of chaos to a desire for human companionship. Each entry in the series involves Betelgeuse's interactions with Lydia Deetz, a goth fascinated with the "strange and unusual". Across the various entries in the franchise, the pair have been presented as enemies, best friends and uneasy allies.

Contents

The original film was met with critical and commercial success and numerous accolades. The franchise expanded with the release of a 1989–1991 animated television series, a 2018 stage musical, several video games and an eventual sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

Films

FilmU.S.
release date		DirectorScreenwritersStory byProducers
Beetlejuice March 30, 1988 Tim Burton Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren Michael McDowell & Larry Wilson Michael Bender, Larry Wilson and Richard Hashimoto
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice September 6, 2024 Alfred Gough & Miles Millar Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith Marc Toberoff, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Tommy Harper and Tim Burton

Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice is directed by Tim Burton, and written by Michael McDowell, Warren Skaaren and Larry Wilson. [1] [2] Starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the titular character, produced by The Geffen Film Company, and distributed by Warner Bros..

Happily married couple Adam and Barbara Maitland die in a car accident. They learn the afterlife is a complex, overworked bureaucracy, and that they are required to haunt their old home for 125 years before they can move on. The Maitlands' rural Connecticut home is purchased by New York real estate developer Charles Deetz, who wants to use it as a retreat from his workaholic city life. Accompanying Charles are his new wife, Delia, a modern artist; and Lydia, Charles' teenage daughter from his first marriage. Charles and Delia's presence upsets the Maitlands, although the childless couple bond with Lydia, a goth whose interest in the "strange and unusual" allows her to see them.

The Maitlands make contact with Betelgeuse, an older, more powerful ghost who formerly worked for the celestial bureaucracy before his loathsome nature alienated him from his superiors. Betelgeuse offers to work for the couple as a "bio-exorcist" and frighten the Deetzes away. The Maitlands initially agree, but are put off by Betelgeuse's crude demeanor and violent tactics. Upon meeting Lydia himself, Betelgeuse becomes smitten with her and attempts to lure her to the afterlife. Meanwhile, Delia's life coach, Otho, discovers a handbook assigned to the Maitlands to help them cope with being ghosts and uses it to hold a séance.

The inexperienced Otho inadvertently begins an exorcism, threatening to destroy the Maitlands' ghosts. Betelgeuse tells a desperate Lydia that he can save the couple if she agrees to marry him, an act that would allow him to stay in the realm of the living permanently. A reluctant Lydia agrees and Betelgeuse rescues the Maitlands. Betelgeuse initiates a wedding ceremony with Lydia, but Barbara and Adam successfully banish him back to the afterlife. The Maitlands and the Deetzes come to a rapport and all live together happily in the house, sharing parenting duties for Lydia.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by the writing team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on a story by Gough, Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith. Starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe, the film was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 6, 2024. [3] [4]

Thirty-six years after the first installment's events, Lydia has become the host of a paranormal television show and the Maitlands' ghosts have successfully left their house due to a loophole in the afterlife bureaucracy. After Charles dies in a freak accident, Lydia and her teenage daughter, Astrid, return to Winter River for the funeral. Lydia, still haunted by memories of Betelgeuse, confesses her past to her producer/fiancé Rory, who disbelieves her. Attempting to prove Lydia wrong, he summons Betelgeuse, who has since returned to the afterlife bureaucracy and used his new position to expand his bio-exorcism business. Still obsessed with Lydia, Betelgeuse makes romantic overtures to her, but she refuses.

Betelgeuse's wife, Delores, a medieval witch who tried to steal his soul, escapes her confinement in the afterlife and goes in search of him. Meanwhile, Astrid meets and falls in love with Jeremy, a teenage ghost who claims to have died accidentally falling out of his tree house. Jeremy lures Astrid into the afterlife, claiming to be able to reunite her with the ghost of her father, Richard, who died in a boating accident.

Lydia learns that Jeremy murdered his parents and died in a confrontation with the police. She realizes Jeremy intends to trap Astrid in the afterlife so he can take her place. Lydia summons Betelgeuse, who agrees to save Astrid in exchange for Lydia marrying him. Lydia accepts, and the pair travel to the afterlife together. Betelgeuse intercepts Jeremy as he attempts to swap places with Astrid and sends him to Hell. Lydia and Astrid briefly reunite with Richard's ghost before escaping.

Betelgeuse appears at Lydia's wedding, where he induces Rory to confess he's only marrying Lydia for her money and fame. Delores appears, but Betelgeuse banishes both her and Rory to the afterlife. Betelgeuse tries to marry Lydia in Rory's place, but Astrid finds a clause in the Handbook for the Recently Deceased that invalidates agreements made by ghosts who bring the living into the world of the dead and banishes Betelgeuse back to the afterlife.

Television

Beetlejuice (1989–1991)

Due to the film's financial success, a Beetlejuice Saturday-morning animated television series was created for ABC and marketed to children and tweens. The series ran for four seasons (the final season airing on Fox), from September 9, 1989, to December 6, 1991. Burton served as the show's developer and executive producer. [5] As opposed to every other franchise entry, here the character's name is both spelled and pronounced as "Beetlejuice".

Because of the demographic shift away from the adult-oriented film, the series re-imagines Lydia as a tween instead of a teenager and Beetlejuice as a friendly prankster whom she summons through her bedroom mirror. Rather than inhabit the afterlife, this iteration of Beetlejuice lives in the "Neitherworld", a fantasy land inhabited by monsters akin to Burton's Halloween Town. Although he refers to himself as "the Ghost with the Most", this Beetlejuice is never depicted as having been a living human, but is rather a creature born in the Neitherworld and whose parents – a similar pair of beings – feature in a few episodes. Beetlejuice additionally has a younger, more popular and polite brother named Donny who admires his elder sibling while eschewing all of his negative traits.

The series heavily relies on pun-based humor and visual gags based on Beetlejuice's ability to transform himself into a variety of monsters, people, and objects. Lydia and Beetlejuice's close-knit friendship is a recurring theme of the series, and the pair frequently find themselves in situations where they must rescue each other from danger. A recurring plot of the series is Lydia summoning Beetlejuice to the real world to help her with some difficulty, especially her ongoing school rivalry with queen bee Claire Brewster. Although he always has Lydia's best interests at heart, Beetlejuice's own selfish and chaotic nature often results in some disaster before he sets things right.

"Ghost with the Most" (2020)

On October 6, 2020, Beetlejuice guest-starred in the Teen Titans Go! episode "Ghost with the Most", which aired as part of the show's sixth season. In this appearance, he was voiced by Alex Brightman, reprising his role from the Beetlejuice Broadway musical. [6]

Video games

Comics

Several comic book series based on the animated television series were published by Harvey Comics in 1991 and 1992. The series were the one-shots Beetlejuice (October 1991), Beetlejuice in the Neitherworld (November 1991), and Beetlejuice Holiday Special (February 1992), and the three-issue Beetlejuice (September—November 1992).

Novels

A series of juvenile novels based on the animated television series were published by Aladdin Paperbacks in 1992. The novels were Beetlejuice for President, Lydia's Scream Date, Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare, Twisted Tours, Camp Fright, and Trial by Ghost. [9]

Stage musical

In 2016, work began on a Broadway stage musical adaptation of the film directed by Alex Timbers, produced by Warner Bros., with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and book by Scott Brown and Anthony King. The musical was debuted by readings starring Christopher Fitzgerald, Kris Kukul (musical director), and Connor Gallagher (choreographer). [10] It premiered at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. for a limited run from October 14 to November 18, 2018, with Alex Brightman in the title role. [11]

The production was scheduled to play its final performance at the Winter Garden on June 6, 2020. The producers were unable to find another theater to house the show due to the COVID Broadway shutdown in March 2020. The show reopened at the Marquis Theatre on April 8, 2022, and closed on January 8, 2023, [12] at a financial loss, having been unable to recoup its $21 million investment. [12] Subsequent productions opened across the world, including a North American national tour.

Main cast and characters

List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

CharacterFilmsTelevision series Stage musical
(original cast)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
198820241989–19912018–2023
Betelgeuse
Beetlejuice		 Michael Keaton Stephen Ouimette Alex Brightman
Lydia Deetz Winona Ryder Alyson Court Sophia Anne Caruso
Delia Deetz Catherine O'Hara Elizabeth Hanna Leslie Kritzer
Charles Deetz Jeffrey Jones Mark Heenehan
Charlie Hopkinson V
Jeffrey Jones P 		Roger DunnAdam Dannheisser
Adam Maitland Alec Baldwin Rob McClure
Barbara Maitland Geena Davis Kerry Butler
Juno Sylvia Sidney Jill Abramovitz
Miss Argentina Patrice Martinez Leslie Kritzer
Maxie Dean Robert Goulet Danny Rutigliano
Otho Fenlock Glenn Shadix Kelvin Moon
Sarah Dean Maree Cheatham
Jane Butterfield Jr.Rachel Mittelman Y Amy Nuttall
Astrid Deetz Jenna Ortega
Rory Justin Theroux [13]
Delores Monica Bellucci
Wolf Jackson Willem Dafoe
Father Damien Burn Gorman
Bob Nick Kellington
Jeremy Frazier Arthur Conti
Richard Santiago Cabrera
The Janitor Danny DeVito C
VladFilipe Cates C

Additional crew and production details

TitleCrew/detail
ComposerCinematographerEditorsProduction
companies		Distributing
company		Running time
Beetlejuice Danny Elfman Thomas E. Ackerman Jane Kurson The Geffen Film Company Warner Bros. Pictures 1 hr 32 mins
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Haris Zambarloukos Jay Prychidny Plan B Entertainment
Tim Burton Productions 		1 hr 45 mins

Release and reception

Critical response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Beetlejuice83% (117 reviews) [14] 71/100 (19 reviews) [15] B [16]
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice77% (350 reviews) [17] 62/100 (61 reviews) [18] B+ [16]

    Box office performance

    FilmBox office grossBudgetRef.
    North AmericaOther territoriesWorldwide
    Beetlejuice$74,493,906$618,753$75,112,659$15 million [19] [20]
    Beetlejuice Beetlejuice$294,100,435$157,000,000$451,100,435$100 million [21] [22]
    Totals$368,594,341$157,618,753$526,213,094$115 million

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    References

    1. ↑ Erickson, Hal. "Beetlejuice (1988)". Allmovie. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
    2. ↑ Nero, Dom (October 11, 2018). "Beetlejuice Is a Horror-Fantasy-Comedy Hybrid Above All Categorization". Esquire . Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
    3. ↑ Rosenbloom, Alli (November 30, 2023). "Tim Burton says 'Beetlejuice 2' has officially wrapped production". CNN . Retrieved December 1, 2023.
    4. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (November 26, 2023). "Willem Dafoe Back on Festival Trail in Marrakech, Talks 'Poor Things', Reveals Role in 'Beetlejuice 2'". Variety . Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
    5. ↑ Salisbury, Mark; Burton, Tim (2006). Burton on Burton. Faber and Faber. p. 100. ISBN   0-571-22926-3.
    6. ↑ "VIDEO: Alex Brightman Plays an Animated BEETLEJUICE On Last Night's TEEN TITANS GO!". October 6, 2020. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
    7. ↑ Osborn, Alex (May 31, 2017). "Teen Titans Go!, The Powerpuff Girls and Beetlejuice Packs Coming to LEGO Dimensions". Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
    8. ↑ MultiVersus -Official Samurai Jack "It Is Time" Gameplay Trailer. July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024– via YouTube.
    9. ↑ Samuel J. Umland, The Tim Burton Encyclopedia (2015), p. 35.
    10. ↑ "The Beetlejuice Musical Finds Its Writing Team | Playbill". Playbill. March 29, 2017. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
    11. ↑ "Beetlejuice Musical Sets Spring 2019 Broadway Opening Date | Playbill". Playbill. September 13, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
    12. 1 2 Paulson, Michael (September 20, 2022). "'Beetlejuice' to Close on Broadway". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
    13. ↑ Romano, Nick (March 20, 2024). "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice... Beetlejuice returns in first look at Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    14. ↑ "Beetlejuice (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 7, 2024.
    15. ↑ "Beetlejuice Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
    16. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 7, 2024). "'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Rocking Body In Time To $100M+ After $42M+ Friday". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 17, 2024. CinemaScore is B+ which is a half step up from the original 1988 movie's B grade.
    17. ↑ "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 9, 2024.
    18. ↑ "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
    19. ↑ "Beetlejuice". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved September 5, 2024.
    20. ↑ "Beetlejuice (1988) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved September 5, 2024.
    21. ↑ "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved December 7, 2024.
    22. ↑ "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved December 7, 2024.
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