Jenna Ortega hit the red carpet at the 81st Venice International Film Festival for the world premiere of Beetle Juice Beetle Juice on Wednesday.
Ortega joined castmates Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton and Catherine O'Hara, who all starred in the original 1988 film, as well as returning director Tim Burton.
In the new film that picks up 36 years after the original, “The Deetz family returns home to Winter River after the unexpected death of Charles Deetz. Lydia's (Ryder) life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the city in the attic and the portal to the afterlife is accidentally opened, freeing Betelgeuse (Keaton).”
In a press conference at the festival, Ortega told reporters, “I've been trying to mind my own business in the corner, making sure I'm not copying the work of the lovely Winona of old.”
The first reviews coming from the festival are positive, with The Hollywood Reporter writing, “The fast pace, exuberant energy and constant stream of laugh-out-loud moments hint at the joy Burton seems to have found in revisiting this world, and for anyone who loved the first film, it's infectious. That goes for the actors too, all of whom are thrilled by the dizzying madness.”
Burton was quoted as saying he felt “reinvigorated” by the film after being “a little disappointed with the film industry, [I sort] of having lost myself.”
The Warner Bros. title is aiming to gross up to $80 million when it hits theaters on September 6.