Tim Burton's Beetlejuice 2 opens Venice Film Festival with impressive 3-minute standing ovation

The 2024 Venice Film Festival kicked off with a vibrant, gothic flair as Tim Burton’s much-anticipated sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, opened to a rousing reception. The film, which had been eagerly awaited for decades, was met with a 3-minute standing ovation. The applause might have continued even longer, but the Venice organizers swiftly dimmed the lights as Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Jenna Ortega took the stage to acknowledge the enthusiastic crowd.

The cast remained composed, with Keaton and Burton receiving loud cheers while signing autographs. However, Tim Burton declined a fan's unusual request to design her next tattoo. Jenna Ortega, stunning in a red Dior gown, embraced her role as the franchise's new star, taking selfies with fans in the theater lobby. Before the screening began, the 21-year-old actress led a standing ovation for Sigourney Weaver, who was honored with an honorary Golden Lion just before the film's debut.

Warner Bros.’ fantasy comedy-horror Beetlejuice Beetlejuice arrives in theaters 36 years after Tim Burton’s iconic 1988 original. The sequel sees Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara reprising their roles, with newcomers Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe joining the cast. The plot follows the Deetz family as they return to their old home, with Winona Ryder’s rebellious teenage daughter (played by Jenna Ortega) discovering the model of the town in the attic. This discovery inadvertently opens a portal to the afterlife, once again unleashing Michael Keaton’s Betelgeuse.

The journey to create this sequel has been long and winding. Initially, after the original film's critical and commercial success, grossing $74.7 million, scripts were commissioned as early as 1990. Concepts ranged from Betelgeuse going to Hawaii to other imaginative ideas, but the project remained in development limbo. It wasn’t until 2011 that Seth Grahame-Smith joined as a writer, and even then, progress was slow. Finally, in early 2022, the sequel was officially announced, produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment in collaboration with Warner Bros.

ALSO READ: Johnny Depp won the ‘Edward Scissorhands’ race to Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson

The long wait seems to have been worthwhile, with early projections estimating Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to earn between $65-80 million during its opening weekend in the U.S.

ALSO READ: Cast of Tim Burton's Wednesday 2 announced: Jenna Ortega to return as teen anti-hero Wednesday Addams

In an interview with Variety before the festival, Burton revealed that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice had reignited his passion for filmmaking after the lukewarm reception of his 2019 live-action Dumbo. “I thought that could have been it for me. I was considering retirement, but this project reenergized me. In Hollywood, it’s easy to get caught up in the responsibilities of budgets and other pressures, but this film reminded me of the importance of staying true to my creative instincts. When you do what you love, everyone benefits,” Tim Burton reflected.