New ‘Beetlejuice’ Makes a Smashing Debut at No. 1 at North American Box Office

Tim Burton’s cult film “Beetlejuice” had a mixed reception in theaters in 1988, but “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has thrilled American audiences.

It took 36 years to see it return to the screens, but the macabre comedy Beetlejuice Beetlejuice had a stellar start this weekend at the North American box office, taking in some $110 million, according to projections Sunday, September 8, from the specialist firm Exhibitor Relations.

Tim Burton’s film Beetlejuice which became a cult classic had a mixed start in theaters in 1988. But “This time, the audience knew what to expect and it was a huge popular success.”said David A. Gross, an analyst at Franchise Entertainment Research.

For the rest of Beetlejuiceproduced by Warner Bros., Michael Keaton returns at 73 to the striped costume of the sinister and prankster “bio-exorcist” trying to rally the world of the living. He shares the spotlight with two stars already present in the first part: Winona Ryder, 52, and Catherine O’Hara, 70. The latter reprise their original roles, those of Delia and Lydia Deetz, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who move into a house haunted by a couple of ghosts.

Jenna Ortega, who became a star at 21 thanks to the Netflix series Wednesday (inspired by The Addams Family), produced by Tim Burton, is among the newcomers, with Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe.

Long at the top of the box office, Deadpool & Wolverinethe Marvel superhero comedy, driven by the popularity of stars Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), came in a distant second. Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceThe comedy earned $7.2 million in theaters between Friday and Sunday, according to Exhibitor Relations. That brings its total domestic and international gross to nearly $1.3 billion in its seven-week run.

In third place, and up one place from the previous week, is Reaganan eponymous biopic about the American president, played by Dennis Quaid, which brought in $5.2 million. For its fourth weekend of release, Alien: Romulusthe latest installment in the sci-fi horror saga, fell two places with $3.9 million.

Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson star as space travelers who discover, to their mortal cost, the existence of xenomorphs, fearsome extraterrestrials.

Fifth place goes to Never Again (Sony), based on the best-selling novel by American writer Colleen Hoover, starring the star of Gossip Girl Blake Lively. The film has now grossed over $300 million worldwide.