When Beetlejuice first hit cinemas in 1988, it was a weird, wonderful, and wildly original experience. Tim Burton’s dark yet playful aesthetic, Michael Keaton’s chaotic performance as the titular ghost, and the film’s quirky humor combined to create something truly special. Beetlejuice became a cult classic, a film that embodied Burton’s trademark balance of the macabre and the whimsical while introducing a unique world that spawned an equally unique and dedicated fandom.

Now, more than 35 years later, the Beetlejuice sequel has arrived, and like so many remakes before it, it’s struggling to capture the essence that made the original so beloved.

The sequel brings everything you would expect in the way of nostalgia but also an influx of brand partnerships: a whopping 35 in total. While brand collaborations are nothing new, Beetlejuice 2 has taken cues from the successful marketing strategy of Barbie, leveraging creative partnerships that aim to enhance the viewer’s experience. The key phrase being ‘aim to’.

The film has been criticized for tipping the balance, with some fans feeling the brand integrations are too heavy-handed. This turns the movie into more of a commercial showcase than a sequel that speaks honestly to a dedicated fandom that has embraced the original for decades.