More and more often, popular movies from years ago are getting revivals or new sequels. It’s not to say every movie sequel is a flop, but are they always necessary? With the newest continuation of this trend, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, one question has been brought to the forefront: Are sequels made for the audience, or for profit?

As someone who watched the movie myself, and after asking others who saw it, the general consensus is that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does not top the original. When I asked junior Liliana Fowlkes her opinion, she said, “Sequels should only be made if the plot is left unfinished at the end of the previous movie.” While it’s not a terrible movie, its purpose wasn’t to answer any questions fans still had from the first Beetlejuice movie. 

Another person that I asked enjoyed the movie due to nostalgia. “For me, I watched the original Beetlejuice in the early 90s so it reminds me of my childhood.” Producers know these old movies hold a special place in viewers’ hearts. Are they using that to their advantage? Sometimes, though, a revival’s plot isn’t the main focus for a viewer; it’s the desire to connect back to that old magic. 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice isn’t the first sequel like this, and it certainly isn’t the last. It might not end up as a cult classic, but the numbers don’t lie in revenue. Around the entire world, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s gross profit was 420 million dollars, according to IMDbPro.

Recently a sequel to 2003’s Freaky Friday was announced, titled Freakier Friday. It’s set to release August 8th, 2025 with Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky and Rosalind Chao reprising their roles from the original. Will you be at the theater to see this next sequel and reel in nostalgia?