'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Almost Went To Streaming Before Its Theatrical Release

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice keeps proving to be one of Tim Burton’s most successful movies after making quite a splash at the global box office, earning a whopping $264 million in just the second week of its release. While fans have gotten to see the magic created on big screens, the hit movie almost went to streaming as recently revealed by The New York Times, indicating that its latest box office milestone would clearly not have been attainable. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the U.S. on September 6, 2024, and has since gained positive reviews from fans and critics alike.

According to a Warner Bros. exec., the idea of sending the highly anticipated sequel movie directly to streaming would not have sat well with Burton whose movies are undoubtedly meant for big screens. Even so, the studio's past administrators initially considered making Beetlejuice Beetlejuice available to stream on Max without a theatrical release, even before it was officially greenlit by co-heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. De Luca and Abdy were appointed to that position in 2022. Abdy said of the streaming-only release, "That was never going to work for Tim. You're talking about a visionary artist whose films demand to be seen on a big screen."

Considering that it's been thirty-six years since the original Beetlejuice arrived in theaters, Warner Bros. were understandably not into the notion of spending $147 million on a sequel and with a director who hadn't had a hit since Disney's live-action Alice in Wonderland in 2010. Burton strongly disagreed with the studio over expenses. Eventually, Warner Bros. agreed to a major theatrical release if the budget was under $100 million, which Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was able to achieve. The New York Times reports that the film cost $99 million to produce.

'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Made It With Less Than $100 Million

For those wondering how the team behind such a fantastic movie were able to make $99 million work, the principal cast, including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega and Catherine O’Hara, apparently joined Burton and some producers in agreeing to reduce their upfront payment in exchange for a larger piece of the back end. In addition to that, some financial planning was made, including tax incentives and shooting budget cuts, enabling the budget for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to make it to just under the $100 million mark.

Thanks to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton’s personal box office has passed the $4.5 billion milestone, with the movie currently on its way to becoming his biggest hit in over a decade. The comedy horror film has grossed $188 million domestically and another $76 million overseas but is still set to pass the $250 million mark and possibly climb past $300 million worldwide in time for Halloween.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is currently showing in theaters.

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