Box office
Beetlejuice opened theatrically in the United States on March 30, 1988, earning $8,030,897 its opening weekend. The film eventually grossed $74,664,632 in North America. Beetlejuice was a financial success,[24] recouping its $15 million budget, and the 10th-highest grossing film of 1988.[25][26]
Critical response
Beetlejuice was met with a mostly positive response. Based on 62 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, Beetlejuice received an 85% overall approval rating with a weighted average of 7.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Brilliantly bizarre and overflowing with ideas, Beetlejuice offers some of Michael Keaton's most deliciously manic work—and creepy, funny fun for the whole family."[27] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 18 reviews.[28] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a B on a grade scale of A to F.[29]
Pauline Kael called the film a "comedy classic",[19] while Jonathan Rosenbaum of Chicago Reader gave a highly positive review. Rosenbaum felt Beetlejuice had originality and creativity absent from other films.[30] Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it "a farce for our time" and wished Keaton had more screen time.[31] Desson Howe of the Washington Post felt Beetlejuice had the "perfect" balance of bizarreness, comedy and horror.[32]
Janet Maslin of the New York Times gave the film a negative review, writing that the film "tries anything and everything for effect, and only occasionally manages something marginally funny" and "is about as funny as a shrunken head".[33] Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, writing that he "would have been more interested if the screenplay had preserved their [Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis] sweet romanticism and cut back on the slapstick". Ebert called Keaton "unrecognizable behind pounds of makeup" and said "his scenes don't seem to fit with the other action".[34]
In his book Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914-2008, Bruce G. Hallenbeck praised the film's lively script, assured direction, offbeat casting, and "delightfully off-kilter, Edward Gorey-like look", citing the explorer with the shrunken head and the animated sandworm as particularly memorable visuals.[35]
Accolades
At the 61st Academy Awards, Beetlejuice won the Academy Award for Best Makeup (Steve La Porte, Ve Neill, and Robert Short),[36] while the British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominated the film for Best Visual Effects and Makeup at the 42nd British Academy Film Awards.[37][38]
Beetlejuice won Best Horror Film and Best Make-up at the 1988 Saturn Awards. Sidney also won the Saturn for Best Supporting Actress, and the film received five other nominations: Direction for Burton, Writing for McDowell and Skaaren, Best Supporting Actor for Keaton, Music for Elfman, and Special Effects.[39] Beetlejuice was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.[40] Beetlejuice was 88th in the American Film Institute's list of Best Comedies.[41][42]
