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Warner Bros. media franchise From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beetlejuice is an American dark fantasy comedy horror media franchise that originated with the film Beetlejuice (1988). The overall plot centers around a deceased couple who try to haunt the new inhabitants of their former home and call for help from a devious bio-exorcist ghost named Betelgeuse (after the star, due to being part of the constellation named after the Greek god 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 is summoned by saying his name three times. One of the new inhabitants is a young girl, Lydia, who is dealing with her neglectful father and her new step-mother.
Beetlejuice | |
---|---|
Created by | Tim Burton |
Years | 1988–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) |
|
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 film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).
Film | U.S. release date |
Director | Screenwriters | Story by | Producers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 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., the plot revolves around a recently deceased couple; as ghosts, they are not allowed to leave their house. They contact Beetlejuice, an obnoxious and devious "bio-exorcist" from the Netherworld, to scare the home's new inhabitants away.
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 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]
Due to the film's financial success, a Beetlejuice animated television series was created for ABC. 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]
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]
Print content associated with the franchise includes a six-issue comic book series published by Harvey Comics in 1991 and 1992, featuring adventures of Beetlejuice and Lydia along the lines of those in the animated series; a Marvel Comics guide containing "stories, comic strips, fact files, and puzzles", and a series of juvenile novels published by Aladdin Paperbacks in 1992.[9]
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.
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
Character | Films | Television series | Stage musical | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beetlejuice | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Beetlejuice | "Ghost with the Most" | ||
1988 | 2024 | 1989–1991 | 2020 | 2018–2022 | |
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 Heenhan Charlie HopkinsonV Jeffrey JonesP |
Roger Dunn | Adam Dannheisser | |
Adam Maitland | Alec Baldwin | Mentioned | Rob McClure | ||
Barbara Maitland | Geena Davis | Kerry Butler | |||
Juno Butterfield | Sylvia Sidney | Jill Abramovitz | |||
Miss Argentina | Patrice Martinez | Leslie Kritzer | |||
Maxie Dean | Robert Goulet | Mentioned | Danny Rutigliano | ||
Otho Fenlock | Glenn Shadix | Kelvin Moon | |||
Sarah Dean | Maree Cheatham | ||||
Jane Butterfield | Rachel MittelmanY | Amy Nuttall | |||
Astrid Deetz | Jenna Ortega | ||||
Rory | Justin Theroux[13] | ||||
Delores | Mentioned | Monica Bellucci | |||
Wolf Jackson | Willem Dafoe | ||||
Father Damien | Burn Gorman | ||||
Bob | Nick Kellington | ||||
Jeremy Frazier | Arthur Conti | ||||
Richard | Santiago Cabrera | ||||
The Janitor | Danny DeVitoC | ||||
Vlad | Filipe CatesC |
Title | Crew/detail | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Composer | Cinematographer | Editors | Production 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 |
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
---|---|---|---|
Beetlejuice | 83% (115 reviews)[14] | 71/100 (19 reviews)[15] | B[16] |
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | 77% (261 reviews)[17] | 62/100 (58 reviews)[18] | B+[16] |
Film | Box office gross | Budget | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North America | Other territories | Worldwide | |||
Beetlejuice | $74,493,906 | $618,753 | $75,112,659 | $15 million | [19][20] |
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | $188,006,079 | $76,300,000 | $264,306,079 | $100 million | [21][22] |
Totals | $262,499,985 | $76,918,753 | $339,418,738 | $115 million |
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