Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ending explained, plus what that means for any sequel

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in cinemas now, meaning it’s time for us to analyse that twisted ending, and look ahead to the potential future of the franchise.

Ever since the first Beetlejuice hit screens, way back in 1988, there’s been talk of a sequel. Beetlejuice in Love was one proposal. While Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian very nearly happened. But a follow-up was nowhere to be seen, nor was a tie-in popcorn bucket, until now.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is an extremely belated sequel that reunites director Tim Burton with stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara (but not Jeffrey Jones) to tell a tale that’s quite similar to the original, just with a few new characters and sub-plots thrown in.

So here’s how that story gets resolved, plus details of if we’ll get a Beetlejuice 3. So SPOILERS AHEAD…

What happens at the end of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

At the end of the new movie, Beetlejuice is banished from the land of the living, Lydia and Astrid Deetz (seemingly) find some common ground and become friends, while Delia Deetz is reunited with her late husband Charles in death.

As in the first movie, Beetlejuice is hell-bent on marrying Lydia, and she agrees to the union, in exchange for “the Juice” stopping Astrid’s new boyfriend from swapping her life for his.

Beetlejuice tricks said boy, condemning him to hell. Meaning Lydia has to hold up her end of the bargain, resulting in the climax playing out in a church.

The ceremony starts in upbeat fashion, with those involved lip-synching to ‘McArthur Park.’ But proceedings take a dark turn when Beetlejuice faces off with Lydia’s fiancee Rory (Justin Theroux), and his own ex-wife, the soul-sucking Delores (Monica Belluci).

Astrid saves the day by using the ‘Handbook for the Recently Deceased’ to open a portal to sandworms who eat the dastardly duo. While the title character is prevented from marrying Lydia due to breaking an undead law, before finding himself banished from whence he came by the words “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.”

Delia then dies due to asp poison, but has her own happy ending when she’s reunited with late husband Charles, and the pair of them board the Soul Train together.

Does Beetlejuice 2 have a post-credits scene?

No, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does not have a post-credits scene.

The sequel instead ends with a horror-inspired tag which begins with Lydia and Astrid happy together, and Astrid meeting a boy and marrying him. She then gets pregnant and has a baby, to the strains of a score that sounds suspiciously like the music at the conclusion of Carrie.

Said child is the ‘Baby Beetlejuice’ who made such an impression earlier in the movie. Which is horrific, until the entire sequence is revealed to be a nightmare.

Lydia wakes up from said scare, both terrified and relieved, only to find herself lying next to Beetlejuice, making the first dream a nightmare inside a second dream. One that Lydia also wakes up from.

Which is where the movie ends, meaning that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doesn’t set up a potential Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Will there be a Part 3?

It seems unlikely that there will be a Beetlejuice 3, with director Tim Burton saying: “I doubt it.”

When asked about a third movie, and in reference to the 36 year gap between Beetlejuice and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton told The Hollywood Reporter: “If [the same] time frame goes on, I’ll be about 100. So maybe. I doubt it.”

Though he also opened the door just a crack, before once again closing it, while speaking to Variety, saying: “Let’s do the math… it took 35 years to do this, so I’ll be over 100. I guess it’s possible with the advent of science these days, but I don’t think so.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in cinemas now. Head here for more movies out in September, here to check out the best movies of 2024 so far, and here for our favourite horrror movies at FrightFest.