I don’t think many, if any, expected Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” to get rave reviews out of Venice, where it screened for press this morning. It’s set to open the 81st edition of festival this evening.
Early word is officially out, and Burton’s sequel is getting mostly fine, semi-approvable reactions. Nothing more, nothing less. It currently sits at 67 on Metacritic. On Rotten Tomatoes, 20 reviews have been submitted, and 6 are rotten.
Technically speaking, this is Burton’s best reviewed film since 2012’s animated “Frankenweenie” — his last few have been mediocre (“Dumbo,” “Miss Peregrine”). Burton has mentioned that, after “Dumbo,” he was close to retiring from directing, but felt rejuvenated by the artistic process of “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice”
Most critics, including myself, will be catching “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” early next week at press screenings. The film is set to be released theatrically on September 6. It’s currently project to have a 3-day opening anywhere between $70M-$80M.