The long-awaited “Beetlejuice” sequel is currently tracking to set a near record when it debuts on September 6 across the country.

Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” hits theaters this week — 36 years after the first film came out — and the film currently looks to earn $100-$110 million at the domestic box office, based on advanced ticket sales and tracking data, the Hollywood Reporter reported.

If those numbers hold, the highly-anticipated sequel will be able to claim the second-best opening of all time coming in behind the monster hit in September 2017 of “It,” which launched at $123 million, not adjusted for inflation.

However, Warner Bros is being more conservative and believes it will debut with $80 million plus, the outlet noted.

The current record holders for movies with the second-biggest September openings include Marvel’s 2021 “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” with $75.4 million and 2019’s “It Chapter Two” with $91.1 million.

Box Office Preview: ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Eyes Near-Record $100M-$110M September Opening https://t.co/vPQ1VSuMQa

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 4, 2024

The original film in 1988 grossed $74 million at the box office, or more than $195 million when adjusted for inflation, and became an instant cult classic.

Returning for the sequel are several stars of the original film, including actor Michael Keaton who famously played the bizarre lead character “Beetlejuice,” along with actress Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara. Newcomers to the fantasy comedy include Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, and Justin Theroux.

On his return to the maniacal “Beetlejuice” character, Keaton recently assured fans that his character, once again, does not accommodate the politically correct crowd.

The 72-year-old star said one of his stipulations for agreeing to participate in the sequel project 36 years later was not giving his titular character a lot of screen time, just like in the first film.

“The idea was, no, no, no, you can’t load it up with Beetlejuice, that’ll kill it,” Keaton told GQ. “I think the Beetlejuice character doesn’t drive the story as much as he did in the first one. He’s more part of the storyline in this one as opposed to the first one, which is a case of, this thing comes in and drives the movie a little bit.”

In the 1988 fantasy horror film, Beetlejuice was only on screen for 17 minutes total. Keaton elaborated that Beetlejuice is an “it” but not because of society’s obsession with pronouns.

“He’s a thing. He’s more of a thing than a he or a she, he’s more of an it. And I’m not saying ‘it’ to be politically correct. I just viewed it as a force more than anything. I mean, there’s definitely strong male energy, like stupid male energy, which I love,” the actor explained. “You don’t want to touch that because it’s not like you go, ‘Well, it’s a new year and this thing would now act like that.’”

Amanda Harding contributed to this piece.

Related: Michael Keaton Promises Beetlejuice Character Won’t Be ‘Politically Correct’ In Sequel

As District Attorney of San Francisco, Kamala Harris proposed a program for drug dealers that would have allowed criminals to only be charged for selling narcotics on their third arrest. 

San Francisco’s chief of police at the time sent an October 24, 2005 letter to Harris declining to participate in the program, “Operation Safe Streets,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Daily Wire. 

“This proposal asks us not to arrest, but instead detain and release observed narcotics sales suspects pursuant to Penal Code Section 849(b) P.C. When the same suspect is arrested the third time for narcotics sales, your office would then charge all three counts,” wrote Heather Fong, who served as police chief until 2009. 

The revelation comes as Harris attempts to campaign as a tough-on-crime, law-and-order prosecutor, touting her past record and describing herself as someone who “took on perpetrators of all kinds — predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.” 

But back in 2005, the police chief warned Harris that her proposed policy would allow narcotics sellers to immediately be released back onto the streets without consequences, encourage dealers to come to San Francisco, potentially increase violent crime in the city, and result in a double standard, “as adults would be released while juveniles would be booked.” 

“Additionally, narcotics dealers who sell drugs near a school would be released after only a brief detention,” Fong continued, noting, “Undoubtedly, this would send the wrong message to observant children who unfortunately witness drug dealing activity on a regular basis.” 

The chief also warned that the public would not view a “detain and release” program favorably, since neither the community nor the police department are sympathetic to drug dealers who “exploit for profit the weakness of others.” She also noted that it would be bad for officer morale and “counter to what every officer is taught.” 

Letter from Heather Fong to Kamala Harris, October 24, 2005.

Letter from Heather Fong to Kamala Harris, October 24, 2005.

Harris’ office told The Daily Journal in April 2006 that the idea behind the proposal was not to allow criminals to get off the hook, but instead help prosecutors build stronger cases against them. The Daily Journal reported that “police have scoffed at the plan.” 

“Defense attorneys who regularly represent drug dealers also are pooh poohing Harris’ plan, saying it sounds weird and unworkable,” The Daily Journal’s Dennis Opatrny wrote at the time. 

Harris’ criminal division chief, Jeff Ross, reportedly suggested to the police chief at the time that they should move forward with the program despite potential media criticisms. 

“It is true that San Francisco is home to some media outlets that may perceive of this program as being too tough on narcotics offenders, because more dealers will wind up behind bars as a result of this approach,” he wrote, adding, “I’m sure you would agree that we must pursue effective enforcement approaches without regard to whether there might be critical media coverage.” 

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire. 

A report released Wednesday from The Heritage Foundation found that she has always been “soft-on-crime,” though her representations of her record have varied based on her audience or political climate: she has shown support for defunding the police, bail policies that let violent criminals back onto the streets, and did not seek the death penalty in a number of “egregious cases,” according to the report. 

Just weeks after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody while an officer knelt on his neck, Harris claimed that it “is outdated and is actually wrong and backward to think that more police officers will create more safety.” 

She also promised to end cash bail, expunge some felon records, end federal mandatory minimum sentences, get rid of court-ordered fines, impose more restrictions on cops, and more, according to a memo from her 2020 presidential campaign exposed by the Washington Free Beacon in July.