There's only one week left until Beetlejuice Beetlejuice arrives in cinemas, which feels crazy to even say, really, considering we've been waiting 36 years for it. The film already had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a four-minute standing ovation (and Jenna Ortega donned a red tulle gown modeled after Lydia's wedding dress from the flagship film).
We've compiled every single detail we know about the film, from its official release date, trailers, first reactions from critics, and who's playing who. Michael Keaton is back as the titular Ghost with the Most, but there's a plethora of fun new characters played by some truly beloved actors. Essentially, it's your very own Handbook for the Recently Deceased.
So what are you waiting for, get scrolling...
Beetlejuice 2 release date
The Beetlejuice 2 release date is currently set for September 6 for both UK and US theaters. While the rumored date had been floating around the internet for a good few months, the news was confirmed on February 1, 2024, when Warner Bros unveiled the sequel's first poster.
In it, you can see the long-fingernailed white hands of the eponymous antagonist as he looks down at a ticket reel – you know, like the one the Maitlands rip their waiting room number from before meeting their Afterlife advisor. Between his dirty thumbs reads '06,09,24', if you're in the UK, while the US version reads, '09,06,24'.
Beetlejuice 2 trailer
Warner Bros. unveiled the second Beetlejuice 2 trailer on July 18. The latest teaser is twice as long as the first trailer that we got back in March, giving fans a more in-depth look at Keaton's ghoulish return.
It opens with Jenna Ortega's Astrid dealing with some school bullies, and we learn that her mother, Lydia, has moved the family back to the haunted house from her teen years. As you can expect, this isn't the best idea and soon the trailer is filled with spooky incidents and Beetlejuice himself making a comeback.
In an effort to save her daughter from some supernatural upsets, Winona Ryder's character once again summons the specter. The unlikely team-up meets a bunch of colorful characters in the short clip, and honestly, the film looks just as fun as the first. Considering that the original Beetlejuice is one of the best horror movies ever made, that's high praise and we hope the new film lives up to our expectations!
Beetlejuice 2 cast
While Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis aren't back as Adam and Barbara Maitland, the ghostly couple who hire Beetlejuice to get rid of the awful family that's moved into the home they "haunt," Michael Keaton is set to return as the original ghoulish human exterminator in Beetlejuice 2.
Elsewhere, Catherine O'Hara will be back as Delia Deetz, while Winona Ryder reprises the role of Delia's goth stepdaughter Lydia. In terms of newbies, Justin Theroux plays Rory, Monica Belucci is Delores, who we're assuming is an ex of Beetlejuice's given her missing ring finger, Willem Dafoe is ghost police officer Wolf Jackson, and Wednesday star Jenna Ortega brings Lydia's daughter Astrid to life.
Judging by the above footage, Danny DeVito also has a cameo in the movie, though his appearance might be short-lived... There's a moment in the trailer where Belucci's Delores lifts him off the floor by his neck and demands to know where Beetlejuice is. Let's hope he told 'er, or else it might seem safe to assume that the scene does not end well for him...
Tim Burton Daily claims that the sequel will explain early on that Charles died from a fatal shark bite, but actor Jeffrey Jones' likeness is used in one of a handful of stop-motion sequences.
Beetlejuice 2 plot
In Beetlejuice (1988), the Maitlands' plan to have Beetlejuice scare the Deetzes out of their Connecticut home goes awry when the family learn of their existence and conduct a séance to try and get proof of them. Upon their summoning, Adam and Barbara appear in front of their family in their wedding clothes but suddenly start to age and decay, which frightens Lydia, who'd previously bonded with the pair over their shared dislike of her mother. Turns out, Delia's pal Otho (Glenn Shadix) accidentally performed an exorcism, so Lydia begs for Beetlejuice's help to stop and reverse the process.
The meanie agrees, but on one condition: Lydia marries him, so that he be granted the ability to wreak havoc in the mortal world. Barbara and Adam wind up interrupting the ceremony and saving Lydia, though, by riding a giant sandworm through the house and getting it to eat Beetlejuice – as you do. The movie concludes with the Deetzes and the Maitlands living happily in the house all together.
Burton, chatting to the BFI, recently opened up about his reasons for wanting to do Beetlejuice 2, explaining: "When I did this one, I didn't look at the first movie, because it didn't feel like it would help.
"I treated it just very much as a project where, after 35 years, the anchor for me is what happened to Lydia, what happened to the Deetz family? What happened to the living people? What happens to people we see at one stage in their life, then you see them many years later? What the f*ck happened to that person?" he continued, not acknowledging the non-canon animated series that premiered in 1989.
"What happened to [Delia]? What happened to [Delia's husband and Lydia's father] Charles? This is what interests me. This is what gives it an anchor for me. Where are these people after 35 years?"
"At its heart, Beetlejuice [2] is a story about a family," cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos told The Wrap, which seems to echo Burton's comments. "Now it's 30 years later and what are the intricacies and the human condition in keeping a family together all that time set in the craziest world possible?"
The official synopsis, straight from Warner Bros., is as such: "Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened.
"With trouble brewing in both realms, it's only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice's name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem."
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice review
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 28, where it received a 4-minute standing ovation.
First reactions for the film have been largely positive, with Deadline calling it "joyously macabre" and CinemaBlend's Mike Reyes using "bonkers, sweet, and twistedly funny" as a descriptor. Vulture called the pic a "welcome Jolt of the Old Tim Burton," adding the sequel felt like visiting an old friend.
Some critics were a bit less impressed. Variety wrote that the sequel "is just a lightweight riff on Beetlejuice – a piece of fan service, really." Our own Beetlejuice Beetlejuice review says it's "enjoyable, inventive, and fun, but thanks to a wayward narrative, this legacy sequel won’t live too long in the memory."
For more, check out our list of the greatest fantasy movies of all time.
