“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” jumped into the queue, earning $41.5 million from 4,575 locations across Friday and preview screenings. That’s the second-biggest opening day ever for a September release, trailing only 2017’s “It” ($50.425 million). It’s also the biggest ever for director Tim Burton’s career, beating “Alice in Wonderland’s” $40.8 million opening day in 2010.

It’s a triumphant kickoff for the decades-brewing legacy sequel, produced on a $100 million budget. And for Warner Bros., it’s a much-needed, unmitigated hit. After a summer that saw the studio release such exemplary nonstarters as “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” (despite WB not being a production financier, merely a distributor), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is now potentially eyeing an opening weekend of more than $97 million in North America. In just three days of release, that would be more than half of Warner Bros.’ total domestic gross from all of its summer releases. The film is also getting the lion’s share of Imax and other premium large-format theaters to bolster its revenue.

There’s a good chance that “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” will remain a major draw in the coming weeks, given its PG-13 family-friendliness and soon-to-be seasonal horror aesthetic as Halloween approaches. Critics have been glowing about the paranormal comedy since its well-received world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Audiences have been largely satisfied, too, though a B+ rating from research firm Cinema Score suggests early ticket buyers may have some reservations about the film.

The first "Beetlejuice" was a runaway hit in 1988, becoming the 10th biggest movie of the year. Tim Burton had a breakthrough with his second feature film. In the decades since, the film has spawned an animated series, a Broadway musical and countless striped Halloween costumes. The new film sees Michael Keaton return as the eponymous Ghost with the Most, who is summoned back to the land of the living to harass the women of the Deetz family (Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara, both reprising their roles from the original). Newcomers include Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Arthur Conti and Justin Theroux.