Washington [US], August 29 : The 2024 Venice Film Festival kicked off with a spirited reception for Tim Burton's highly anticipated sequel, 'Beetlejuice 2'.
According to Variety, the film, which premiered at the festival, earned a remarkable three-minute standing ovation, celebrating the performances of Michael Keaton and Jenna Ortega among others.
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The applause was so prolonged that festival organisers had to dim the lights to conclude the event, allowing Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, and Ortega to acknowledge the enthusiastic crowd, according to Variety.
The cast was met with significant fanfare; Keaton and Burton were particularly lauded as they signed autographs, although Burton declined a fan's request for a tattoo sketch.
Ortega, radiant in a red Dior gown, mingled with fans and posed for selfies in the theatre lobby.
Before the film's screening, Ortega led a standing ovation for Sigourney Weaver, who was honoured with a Golden Lion, according to Variety.
'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' marks a return to the beloved franchise 36 years after the original film.
The sequel, featuring the return of Keaton, Ryder, and O'Hara, introduces new characters played by Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe.
The plot follows the Deetz family as they discover a portal to the afterlife and inadvertently release the mischievous Beetlejuice once more.
The sequel's journey has been long and winding, with initial scripts drafted in 1990 and various story ideas explored before Seth Grahame-Smith's involvement in 2011.
It wasn't until early 2022 that the project gained momentum under the production of Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment and Warner Bros.