Beetlejuice Beetlejuice's Budget & Box Office Explained: How Much It Needs To Make

Tim Burton’sBeetlejuice Beetlejuicecontinues his growing resume of big-budget movies, and he may have his biggest box office hit in over a decade on his hands.Tim Burton’s directorial movie careerbegan with small or medium-budget films that turned into big successes, likePee-wee’s Big Adventure,Beetlejuice 2, andEdward Scissorhands, with these hits leading to some big-budget blockbusters likeCharlie in the Chocolate Factory,Dark Shadows,Alice in Wonderland, andDumbo. His last major commercial “smash” beforeBeetlejuice 2was 2010’sAlice in Wonderland,which made over $1 billion at the box office.

After a series of commercial disappointments, likeDumbo, or moderate successes, such asBig Eyes,Beetlejuice 2’s impressive reviews and box office projectionssignal another resounding hit for Tim Burton. The 2024 horror-comedy sequel arrives at the beginning of the peak horror box office season with a September 6 release, facing little franchise, genre, or big-budget competition over opening weekend. WithBeetlejuice 2’s all-star cast, momentum from Burton’sWednesdaysuccess, critical acclaim, a relatively more reserved budget, and 36-year wait afterBeetlejuice,the sequel is primed to be a huge box office hit for Tim Burton and Warner Bros.

Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, Catherine O’Hara as Delia, and Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice 2 with money in the background

Beetlejuice 2 Reportedly Cost $100 Million To Make

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Budget Is Much Higher Than The Cost Of The Original Movie

According toVariety,Beetlejuice Beetlejuicehas a production budget of approximately $100 million. This number shouldn’t come as too much of a shock, as the movie stands as one of Warner Bros.’ biggest releases of 2024 and has some big names to find, such as Burton himself, Jenna Ortega, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Willem Dafoe, and Catherine O’Hara. ThoughBurton and Keaton prioritized practical effects onBeetlejuice 2over CGI and digital technology, crafting the sequel’s eccentric, wacky afterlife and ghosts still likely took up a good portion of the budget.

$15 million

Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune 2, Zhen from Kung Fu Panda 4, and Godzilla from Godzilla x Kong

$74.8 million

$20 million

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Film Poster

$86 million

$35 million

$412 million

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005)

$150 million

$475 million

$200 million

$1.025 billion

$245 million

$110 million

$296 million

$170 million

$353 million

$100 million

TBD

While the number may still seem high,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s budget is lower than many of Tim Burton’s other recent large-scale movies. For example,Dumbo’s budget was $170 million,Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Childrencost about $110 million,Dark Shadows’ budget was approximately $150 million,Alice in Wonderland’s budget was estimated at $200 million, andCharlie and the Chocolate Factorycost around $150 million. However, only two of these movies,Charlie in the Chocolate FactoryandAlice in Wonderland, were deemed big box office successes.

Beetlejuice 2’s $100 million production budget is over 6.6 times the cost of Tim Burton’s original 1988Beetlejuicemovie at $15 million.

Beetlejuice 2 Needs To Make At Least $250 Million To Be A Box Office Success

Beetlejuice 2 Could Quickly Turn A Profit

Going by the rule of thumb that a movie needs to make at least 2.5 times its production budget to be a success,Beetlejuice 2needs to earn over $250 million to become a box office hit. Thankfully,Beetlejuice 2is projected to speedily earn back its budget, withVariety reporting that it’s expected to earn over $100 million worldwide during its opening weekend alone. Considering 2024’sInside Out 2made approximately $150 million during opening weekend and has now earned over $1.6 billion,Beetlejuice 2could very well turn a profit after its first month in theaters.

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With horror movies often continuing to have a hold in theaters throughout the fall,Beetlejuice 2’s return to the Deetz family’s story isexpected to have long legs at the 2024 box office. If so, the sequel may not just turn a profit of over $150 million, but could follow suit after Disney’s big $1 billion blockbusters this summer by reaching that coveted benchmark.Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceis already exceeding box office and critical expectations, so a box office haul of $500 million, $800 million, or, yes, even $1 billion isn’t an impossibility if the enthusiasm for the PG-13 horror-comedy remains strong.