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CNN
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic, has been a huge success, grossing an estimated $110 million in ticket sales in the U.S. during its opening weekend, according to Comscore data.

The “outstanding domestic opening” is the second-highest ever for a September film, surpassed only by “It,” which grossed $123 million in its first weekend in 2017, Boxoffice Pro reported Sunday.

“The new ‘Beetlejuice’s’ cross-generational audience saw children and adults dressing up for the performances, making the whole thing an event,” said the official release from the National Association of Theatre Owners. “It’s that rare sequel that felt like a sequel rather than a remake of the original, and still gave audiences what they wanted.”

According to Comscore, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” starring Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton, grossed an estimated $145.4 million worldwide over the weekend.

“Ortega has sold this new film to the under-25 crowd and is emerging as Tim Burton’s new Johnny Depp-esque muse,” said Boxoffice Pro.

Ortega, who plays Astrid, the daughter of Ryder’s character Lydia Deetz, was not born until nearly 15 years after the first “Beetlejuice” film was released and did not see the original film until she was about 9 years old.

“Jenna had to be born, become an actress and work with Tim,” Catherine O’Hara, who reprises her role as Delia Deetz in the new film, said in a recent interview with CNN, explaining why it took so long for the sequel to “click.”

Ortega told CNN that Burton offered her the role in “Beetlejuice” while they were working together on the second season of the hit Netflix series “Wednesday,” which is based on another dark and macabre franchise: “The Addams Family.”

The film was released by Warner Bros., which is part of CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.