Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetleju…
Perhaps it’s best not to summon the world’s most terrifying bio-exorcist. Instead, we’re happy to include Beetleju…you know who…as a member of the Pop Culture Hall of Fame’s 2024 induction class for Characters.
The Geffen Company resurrected Beetlejuice in 2024, some 34 years after the mercurial ghost made his theatrical debut in Tim Burton’s 1988 self-titled film.
The sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” picks up years later where the original left off with a triumphant return of Michael Keaton as the titular character. And thus reuniting many gleeful fans with the occult mind of Burton.
Fact is, however, the Beetlejuice franchise has always had somewhat of a cult following that extended beyond the films to include merchandise and video games, as well as a musical and animated series, to name a handful.
The movie also has the distinction of being the very disc sent to customers by Netflix when the company first rolled out its direct-to-home service in March of 1998.
All told, Burton’s dark gothic fantasy/comedy had amassed close to $340 million. Not too shabby for a film with an initial budget of just $15 million, including just $1 million tabbed for visual effects. That’s nothing for a shrunken head to sneeze at.
With that said, Beetlejuice wasn’t a guaranteed success at the onset, despite the resounding success of his first major motion picture “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” three years earlier in 1985.
If Burton followed his original vision, there’s no telling if the film would have grown into the monster that it is today, had the legendary director gone with his first choice of Sammy Davis Jr. to play Beetlejuice. After Davis – followed by the likes of Dudley Moore and Sam Kinnison – didn’t quite fit the bill, Burton tapped Keaton, at the suggestion of Geffen, to take on the role.
And the rest is movie and afterlife history.
Michael Keaton IS Beetlejuice giving a performance that’s as indelibly-unique and colorful as it is timeless. So when Beetlejuice arose from the dead in 2024, it was met with an unmatched fervor.
So much so, the film grossed more than $14 million on the opening Thursday night along en route to $451 million worldwide.
What made fans clamor for more Beetlejuice was Keaton’s ability to turn an utmost villain into a likable foe that you almost find yourself rooting for at times.
If you want to see more from Beetlejuice these days, there’s no need to recite his name three times. You can find him among the members of the Pop Culture Hall of Fame’s 2024 induction class!
