Could Beetlejuice 3 Happen? Here's What Tim Burton Has To Say

This post contains spoilers for "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice."

It took director Tim Burton more than 35 years to get around to "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," the aptly named sequel to his 1988 breakthrough hit. After all those decades, Burton finally reunited with Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara for another round of shenanigans featuring the ghost with the most. For Warner Bros., the wait was worth it: "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" was a massive hit. So, does that mean "Beetlejuice 3" is in the cards?

In the lead-up to the sequel, /Film's Jacob Hall went to a press event for "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" with Burton in attendance. During a roundtable interview, the subject of a third installment in the franchise came up. Burton's immediate response to the notion was a meandering stream of consciousness, but it boils down to the possibility being very unlikely, at least in the immediate future. To quote him directly:

"Yeah, I mean, they talk, whatever, but if it follows the model now, I'd be making that when I'd be over 100 [years old], and it's possible, but I don't know. [laughs] With medical science these days, I don't know. But no, I mean, like I said, for me, I wasn't really personally interested — if you said it to me, I would run the other direction. This is one where it was something that caught my thing. Now, would something else hit? I don't know. Not right now, because I'm still finishing this one, basically."

"Beetlejuice" was a decent hit for Warner Bros. back in 1988, taking in nearly $75 million at the box office against a $15 million budget. More importantly, it was the success that defined Burton as a filmmaker, and one that has become immensely profitable as it's gained eternal life as a late '80s classic well beyond its theatrical run. But while the sequel has far surpassed its predecessor so far as its immediate box office returns go, that still doesn't guarantee a follow-up (even in IP-obsessed Hollywood).

Financially, it makes a great deal of sense for Warner Bros. to want "Beetlejuice 3" to happen. Money talks. It always does. That said, Burton isn't getting any younger. Heck, he was considering retirement before "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" came around. Keaton is also in his 70s, and he probably wouldn't be around to play the title character again in another 30 years, as Burton half-joked.

Basically, if "Beetlejuice 3" is not going to be an immediate priority for Burton creatively, it would have to be made with another filmmaker. That seems very unlikely as well, given that the first two "Beetlejuice" movies feel like they live or die by Burton's very unique perspective as a director. That's not easy to emulate. Plus, we can't imagine Keaton wanting to return without Burton's involvement.

Speaking with GamesRadar in August 2024, Burton and producer Tommy Harper touched on the possibility of a third "Beetlejuice" film. "We haven't talked about where it could go from here, we just talked about making one really good movie," Harper explained. "Make it the best you can, and then anything could happen." As for Burton? He wasn't willing to address the idea of a third entry head-on, stating:

"I don't know. That would make me sound like William Castle or something — 'the biggest, the greatest, the most fabulous motion picture since 'Glen or Glenda!' I hope for the best, really. I just feel good this was done in the spirit and feeling of the original. However the movie does, it was a very good experience for me in that way."

When Burton was asked a similar question by The Hollywood Reporter at the UK premiere for "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," he repeated the same answer about being 100 years old when making it, but then capped off his reply with something even more pessimistic than what he told us, ultimately saying "I doubt it."

Interestingly, though, when E! News caught up with Keaton and asked him about the potential for a third movie, the actor seemed totally on board with the concept. "Oh man, I'd do it every year. Yeah," the actor replied — although, again, one must assume his interest would be tied with Burton's involvement.

Meanwhile, producer Tommy Harper told Deadline that "Beetlejuice 3" could still happen, but didn't commit to anything concrete. "I think with Tim's love for the title and the characters, the door is open, but we'll see what happens next," he noted.

One thing is clear: Burton wasn't deliberately trying to set up another movie with "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." He had a story he wanted to tell, he executed that story, and he didn't leave any threads dangling that demanded to be picked up. If a third movie were to happen, it would be because a new story came about that needed telling. Taking all of these elements into consideration, it's hard to imagine "Beetlejuice 3" happening anytime soon.

Jenna Ortega's "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" character, Astrid, is the daughter of Ryder's Lydia Deetz, so one obvious avenue to explore would be for Astrid to take the torch and run with it in "Beetlejuice 3." Ortega is the reason "Beetlejuice 2" happened in the first place, after all. Whether or not the "Wednesday" star would have any interest in that, however, is another question entirely.

Ortega was asked about that very possibility during an interview with Fandango before "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" hit theaters. While Ortega's sentiments do seem to mirror Burton's, in that she doesn't feel another sequel is going to happen tomorrow, she does see creative possibilities in further exploring this world:

"I also feel like the world might explore before a third movie gets made. Who knows? Maybe in another however many years. I think that's higher powers, but that would be fun. I think one of the special things about this movie, it's so original and so absurd. It feels like such a fever dream that I think there's so much originality that could still be found in that world, and so many new ideas. I think it's a very flexible environment. But I don't know. We'll see."

As far as making any sequel goes, it has to make financial sense. When it comes to the original "Beetlejuice," it was a big hit in its day but became an enduring classic that made Warner Bros. money for years to come. It also inspired a short-lived but much-loved "Beetlejuice" animated series.

Time will tell if "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" has the juice to become a classic in the ensuing years. What we can say definitively is that the movie was a major success for Warner Bros. from a dollars and cents perspective. Burton's sequel, as of this writing, stands as the 10th biggest Hollywood movie of 2024 globally, having earned $451 million at the box office. That includes a whopping $294.1 million worth of ticket sales in North America.

Given that the sequel was made on a $100 million production budget, which does not account for marketing costs, it absolutely turned a profit during its theatrical run. That doesn't even take into account VOD or streaming. It also doesn't account for physical media sales, with the 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD currently available on Amazon. Physical media isn't as big as it once was, but it's not dead either. That's all money in the bank since the film was already a success at the box office.

All of this to say, Warner Bros. has a financial reason to make "Beetlejuice 3." The studio also probably doesn't want to wait more than three decades for that to happen. It's really about finding a good creative reason to make it, too.

Maybe more importantly, is there even anything worth exploring in a third film? "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" does make a reference to Lydia's biological mother, who we never see on screen. At the press event, Burton was also asked about the possibility of seeing that character at some point. "We'll see," is all he had to say there, so that's one potential avenue to explore.

"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" doesn't end with a cliffhanger either, although the sequel does leave things open-ended for a potential third movie via a bizarre dream sequence featuring a hideous Beetlejuice baby. This suggests that Lydia — and the larger Deetz family — may never be truly rid of Beetlejuice. But also, does Lydia really want to be rid of him?

"He's like endgame for me," Ryder said in an August 2024 interview with ComicBook.com. "I totally want them [Beetlejuice and Lydia] to be truly together! It's [makes a gesture indicating 'crazy'] I know, but..." So who knows? Maybe the third film could explore them finally tying the knot. Whether or not that's something Burton would want to explore is another question entirely.

What we know for sure is that a lot of ideas for "Beetlejuice 2" were floated before it finally came to pass. Let us never forget that Warner Bros. was trying to make a version called "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian" at one point. But perhaps other ideas discussed along the way could be repurposed for a third film (ones that don't involve Hawaii, that is).

Lydia's mom does feel like a thread worth pulling. There's also the notion of going deeper with Lydia in "Beetlejuice 3." She's always been into photography, or at least she was in the original film. Allowing her to finally explore her artistic side might be worth doing. In the second movie, she had been relegated to a talk show host, which didn't seem to truly suit her very well. With her mother Delia now deceased, maybe Lydia can take up the artistic torch in the family?

"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" is currently available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video.