Beetlejuice Beetlejuice did big business this weekend in theaters. The supernatural horror fantasy topped the box office with a massive domestic debut of $110 million.
That total gave the Tim Burton film the second best September debut of all-time, box office tracking company Comscore reported on Sunday.
The only release to open higher in September was It back in 2017, with a $123.4 million debut.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice played in 4,575 locations, for a stunning per theater average of $24,044. Outside of North America, the film earned $35.4 million, for a global debut of $145.5 million.
The Warner Bros. release is a follow-up to Burton’s 1988 horror comedy Beetlejuice. Both films star Michael Keaton as a ghost trying to marry someone in the real world, with Winona Ryder as his love interest.
“Well, it was a bit like the first movie. I tried to treat this movie like the spirit of the first movie, where we had a script, but there was a lot of improv that went on,” Burton said in a rountable interview with reporters.
The new film centers on an unexpected family tragedy, when three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River.
In addition to Keaton and Ryder, the cast includes Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe.
Critics gave the film solid reviews, and a 77 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus saying the franchise “still has plenty of juice left in this madcap return to form for Tim Burton.”
Moviegoers liked what they saw as well and handed the film a “B+” CinemaScore.
Elsewhere this weekend, former box office champ Deadpool & Wolverine slipped to second place with $7.2 million Friday through Sunday.
Reagan, a biopic about the nation’s 40th president, was third with $5.2 million.
Alien: Romulus took fourth place with $3.9 million in its fourth weekend. It Ends with Us rounded out the top five with $3.7 million in its fifth week.
Check out the box office chart below from Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian:
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