BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE to Premiere at Venice Film Festival

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited follow-up to Tim Burton's 1988 classic, is set to open the Venice International Film Festival, which will also serve as the film's world premiere. The screening will take place on August 28, ahead of its theatrical release date of September 6. 

Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera commented on the decision, saying, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice marks the long-awaited return of one of the most iconic characters of Tim Burton’s cinema, but also the happy confirmation of the extraordinary visionary talent and the masterly realization of one of the most fascinating auteurs of his time."

“I’m very excited by this. It means a lot to me to have the world premiere of this film at the Venice Film Festival," Burton said. The festival will run from August 28 through September 7.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice takes place following the death of Charles Deetz, the patriarch of the family. This prompts them to return to Winter River, where they first met the devious "bio-exorcist" from the Netherworld.  

Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it's only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice's name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sees the return of Michael Keaton, Catherine O'Hara, and Winona Ryder. New cast members include Jenna Ortega as Lydia's daughter Astrid, Justin Theroux as Rory, Willem Dafoe as a dead movie star turned policeman, Monica Bellucci as an undead entity, and Arthur Conti in a mystery role.

Directed by Burton and distributed by Warner Bros., the first Beetlejuice film revolved around a recently deceased young couple who become ghosts haunting their former home and an obnoxious, devious "bio-exorcist" named Beetlejuice from the underworld who tries to scare away the new inhabitants permanently.

The stage adaptation of Beetlejuice had a history-making run on Broadway - following the release of the musical's original Broadway cast recording and TONY AWARDS appearance, the box office exploded, MAKING IT the surprise hit of the 2018/2019 season.

The smash hit musical Beetlejuice played 366 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway before being shuttered with the rest of Broadway on March 12, 2020. It then re-opened at the Marquis Theatre in 2022, where is continued to play 313 regular performances, for a total of 679 Broadway performances.