Recently I spent a Sunday afternoon trying to ignore a small human being running up and down the aisle of a fancy cinema, bouncing around like a pinball machine. Why are these kids here I thought? The film in question is Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a follow up to his film of the same name – only one removed.
Why is it so surprising that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is appealing to kids? Well for starters the original Beetlejuice (1988) wasn’t exactly lauded as a mainstream, family hit. It certainly hit dearly with a small cohort of people that fondly reminisce on this gem of a gothic film that would become one of Burton’s first masterpieces. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice however has been positioned very differently for its second time around. It’s no longer just for the goths, instead it has been positioned strongly by Warner Brothers as an all rounder, a family flick that anyone can go to: a four quadrant film.
What is a four quadrant film? In the film business it refers to a film that appeals equally to women, men, and those under 25 and older than 25. These age groups indicate that families are the main draw, but that many others will also be enticed into the circle. It has certainly rung true for Inside Out 2, a very smart move from Disney to wait (or at least prolong the already very arduous animation process) around a decade so that the young audience that grew up with the original would now be adults, supplementing the already kids-targeted film. Having grossed over a billion globally, and staying in the top ten for most of the summer, Inside Out 2 was a true fourth quadrant film that can be enjoyed on many levels.
The first part of Wicked is due out later this year, but already it is widening its appeal into all four quadrants and targeting the different demographics. By quadrupling your audience, in theory you could be quadrupling your box office, but just because that is the objective doesn’t mean that it will always come to fruition. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has financially performed well, but there is an artistic cost to targeting all four quadrants. Sometimes doubling the net means that there is less empty space, and if you have seen the sequel you will agree that maybe they won’t be saying Beetlejuice for a third time.
FILM FOR THOUGHT 