After sitting out the whole summer (Furiosa being their top grosser at $67 million), Warner Bros. is back on top with more sandworms - this time in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. (September 6-8, 2024)
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| Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. (C) Warner Bros. |
The sequel to the 1988 classic opened to a massive $110 million domestically which is only behind another Warner Bros. feature It Chapter 1 ($123 million) for the highest opening weekend box office ever for the month of September. It easily trumps other September releases It Chapter Two ($91 million), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75 million), & The Nun ($53 million). It is also the third highest opening so far this year, only coming in behind Deadpool & Wolverine ($211 million) and Inside Out 2 ($154 million)
This is clearly a win for everybody involved in this $100 million production such as director Tim Burton and stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, and Catherine O'Hara. For Burton, this is a strong re-boost to his profile after a string of duds and mid-successes during the 2010s. While fans were excited for the return of Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, interest for Jenna Ortega's debut further fueled anticipation.
The first weekend of September has been a strong launching pad for big Warner Bros. titles - It Chapter 1 & 2, The Nun 1 & 2 and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice only continued the trend. For next year, the studio already locked this date for the final Conjuring installment Last Rites.
The film also boasts a solid B+ Cinemascore - higher than its predecessor's B and in line with the It franchise. With no similar big films in competition, the sequel should play well during the whole month.
Overseas, the film scored $35.9 million in 69 markets which is a decent-at-best opening. Fortunately, France, Germany, and Japan are still on the horizon as it may experience a similar domestic vs. overseas ratio that Twisters had.
Facing its biggest competition yet, Deadpool & Wolverine experienced its harshest drop this weekend with -54% at 7.2 million. No worries at all at the Mouse studio as this Marvel entry has now collected over $614 million domestically.
In third place, Reagan is picking up a little bit of stream as it added $5.2 million this weekend - just off 32 percent for a two-week total of $18.5 million.
Alien Romulus continues its march toward the century mark with the thriller adding $3.9 million this week for a total of around $97 million. Globally, it has now passed $300 million. Meanwhile, Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni drama It Ends With Us also continues its march toward another milestone - $150 million. It grossed $3.7 million for the weekend for a total of $141 million. Same with Romulus, the Coleen Hoover adaptation has now crossed $300 million worldwide. Inside Out 2 has also now passed Jurassic World as the 8th highest grossing film of all time with $1.675 billion.
Other nationwide opener this week The Front Room fizzled this week with $1.66 million. It's really not good for a A24 movie if critics are behind it and the horror film only received 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's C- Cinemascore also suggests it won't experience any momentum moving forward.
