Here’s something September hasn’t seen in seven years: A movie opening to north of $100M over a Friday-Sunday span.
Whatever Warner Bros. lost over the summer in largely a string of flops (their May-Labor Day season not even breaking $170M), the David Zaslav run entertainment conglom will make up for this fall beginning with the long-awaited sequel Tim Burton directed, Michael Keaton starring Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice which is eyeing a global start as high as $145M.
Broken out that’s $100M-$110M per various tracking and exhibition bean counters, with around $35M from 69 offshore markets (a 75% international footprint). The last big opening of this magnitude stateside in September was New Line’s It in 2017 ($123.4M domestic). Presales, I understand, are ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (which turned in a 3-day of $118.4M). Given further boost to audiences’ appetite for this classic is the addition of Wednesday megastar Jenna Ortega to the classic cast which also includes Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara. It’s no wonder why first choice and unaided awareness is strong overall with women. Warners believes the opening is at $80M domestic.
At the end of the day, the sequel’s stateside opening will be more than the lifetime of the original movie which finaled at $74.6M, unadjusted for inflation. No doubt about it, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is primed to tee off a massive fall and holiday box office period after last year’s desert spurred by the strikes; Warner’s next big hit is the Todd Phillips-Joaquin Phoenix-Lady Gaga sequel Joker: Folie à Deux on Oct. 4.
The Juice will be loose starting tomorrow in Korea followed by Italy, Australia, Brazil and Mexico on Thursday; and Spain and the UK on Friday.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice stateside is booked in roughly 4,500 theaters (a record wide theater count YTD) including all premium formats Imax, ScreenX, 4DX, Dolby, Dbox, PLFs with Wednesday fan previews in Dolby, Imax and other formats in 1,000 locations, with Thursday previews starting at 3PM. More good voodoo for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice: 41 reviews out of its Venice World Premiere stand at 78% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Warner Bros was smart to launch the movie on the Lido last week, and then immediately follow that up by a London red carpet to drum up awareness. This was all preceded by a cast fan meet and greet in Mexico City last month. But it remains to be seen how much impact that has on audiences who don’t carry the familiarity or nostalgia for this 36-year-old cult classic.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice is viewed as a more domestic-skewing property — similar to the rebooted Ghostbusters franchise which did significantly more business from North America as compared to international in its most recent iterations.
We expect Anglo markets the UK and Australia to perform well, and Mexico could also chime in nicely. Germany, where U.S. humor translates best amongst the Euro majors, doesn’t go until Sept. 12. France, which tends to lean in to Burton and Keaton, also doesn’t release until next week given kids are consumed with going back to school this session. Asia is likely to struggle, again, from the lack of history. The film was not cleared in China, presumably down to its ghostly themes. Japan goes on Sept. 27.
A24 has the R-rated Max and Sam Eggers horror movie, The Front Room, going in around 2,000 locations. The Brandy Norwood headliner follows a newly pregnant couple who are forced to take in an ailing, estranged stepmother. The Front Room is registering in the single digits for the weekend per tracking. Showtimes start on Thursday at 4PM.
