After 30 years, we’re finally getting a sequel to 1988’s creepy comedy Beetlejuice. Do we need one? I don’t know. But because everyone involved waited so long to make Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice we now have to watch Michael Keaton’s “Ghost with the Most” get shoved into Roblox in another desperate example of Hollywood trying to get young people to watch movies.
After numerous attempts (and failures) to make a Beetlejuice sequel, in 2022 WB announced its plans to make the one we’re finally, actually getting. Tim Burton is back directing the follow-up alongside new and original cast members like Keaton and Winona Ryder. And one of these new actors, Jenny Ortega, was selected to share some depressing news: Beetlejuice is coming to Roblox.
Announced today, the Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Roblox experience is live now. Players can hop in and play a few mini-games, unlock in-game content for their Roblox character, and explore a digital landscape inspired by the upcoming film. And yes, you can hang out with Beetlejuice, who looks like a demented knock-off mini-fig based on a kid’s cartoon drawing of the famous character. But this is just what Roblox looks like to me any time I’m forced against my will to learn more about this horrible game filled with shady people, scam artists, and probably some actual kids.
For those who want to get nuts (editor’s note: wrong Keaton franchise), they can line up at a fake box office in Roblox and buy real-world movie tickets via Fandango. And now the real reason for this odd marketing stunt is clear: to get people to buy tickets to a movie.
Let’s read some buzzwords!
“We are always looking to engage audiences and amplify our reach in new and exciting ways; this first-of-its-kind collaboration with Roblox and Fandango for Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice allows for just that,” Cameron Curtis, VP of marketing at Warner Bros. totally said out loud. For real. And not just in this buzzword-laden comment shared in a press release.
“As we continue to test commerce, offering an opportunity to purchase tickets within the movie-inspired immersive environment is a way to explore a new consumer category and further engage users who are looking to purchase different things,” said Stephanie Latham, Roblox’s VP of global partnerships in a comment that feels like it was spit out by a robot pretending to be human, but failing.
Anyway, that new Beetlejuice movie arrives in theaters on September 6. You can visit this new Roblox experience now.
Or, instead, you can just read Roblox Studio head Stefano Corazza’s comments suggesting their game helps “kids” living in the “slums” make money via content creation. We live in the worst timeline.
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