After years of trying to get a Beetlejuice sequel made, it finally happened with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Tim Burton returned to direct with Michael Keaton coming back as the Ghost with the Most.
Burton has expressed his excitement about this movie, but the long-awaited sequel almost skipped theaters and went straight to streaming on Max.
According to The New York Times, Warner Bros.’ previous regime was looking to release the Beetlejuice sequel straight to streaming before the movie was officially greenlit by WB Motion Picture Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who were installed to that position in 2022.
Abdy talked about the streaming pitch in an interview, saying: “That was never going to work for Tim. You’re talking about a visionary artist whose films demand to be seen on a big screen.”
It’s also reported that Burton butted heads with the studio over costs and distribution as Warner Bros. was scared about spending a projected $147 million on a sequel to a 36-year-old film, with a director who hadn’t had a big hit since Disney’s live-action Alice in Wonderland in 2010.
Warner Bros. ultimately agreed to a major theatrical release if the budget was under $100 million, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice cost $99 million to produce.
To help make that happen, Burton, Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Jenna Ortega all agreed to take less money upfront in exchange for a larger piece of the back end.
Burton’s agent, Mike Simpson, told The Times that before shooting, “Two months went by where every day the movie almost died.”
The movie ended up making $264 million at the global box office so far since opening in theaters. So, everyone is going to be making some good money off the film.
