Tim Burton couldn't have asked for a better comeback.
Beetlejuice, the first sequel in 36 years to Burton's 1988 cult horror-comedy, had its world premiere on Wednesday night at this year's Venice Film Festival where it was met with a warm standing ovation from the audience.
As the audience gave them a standing ovation that lasted nearly four minutes, the cast took a collective bow on the balcony and Burton embraced his girlfriend, Monica Bellucci. Burton then led the cast out of the theater together, Dafoe and Theroux going up the stairs first, followed by Ryder and Ortega, who sat next to each other. As Warner Bros.' Pam Abdi and Michael DeLuca exited behind the cast, they were congratulated and Abdi could be heard telling festival director Alberto Barbero, “Thank you so much for having me.”
A warm welcome to Beetlejuice #Venice81 Director Tim Burton and crew receive a four-minute standing ovation for the Warner Bros. sequel. Burton, Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe, and Michael Keaton himself receive a standing ovation. pic.twitter.com/zoaYtJ8b9I
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) August 28, 2024
Critics have also hailed Burton's sequel as a welcome return. The Hollywood Reporter's chief critic David Rooney wrote that Burton is “a director with a penchant for the macabre who finds new life in the dead,” and that stars Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton help him “rediscover the savage mischief of his heyday.” Rooney reportedly repeatedly scribbled “Tim Burton is back!” in his notes throughout the film.
Reactions were generally similar, with the BBC calling Beetlejuice “a delightfully funny farce packed with knockout punchlines and brilliant live-action effects”, while Empire magazine praised Keaton, who reprises his title role as the mischievous devil: “Michael Keaton has never sounded more Beetlejuice-like”. Britain's The Guardian was unusually harsh, writing, “Burton's bold attempt to resurrect the 1980s horror-comedy from the spirit world is full of flashy set pieces but doesn't do much to help the original.”
Ahead of the film's Venice premiere, Burton said he felt “reinvigorated” by the film after several years in which he had “become a little disillusioned with the film industry and (in a way) lost track of himself.”
If the reaction at Venice is any indication, Burton will definitely be back. Warner Bros. will be happy. Beetlejuice hits theaters on September 6th and is already on track to gross $80 million at the U.S. box office. It looks like things are really slowing down.
