Michael Keaton’s character is identified as Betelgeuse, the name of a star in Orion. Beetlejuice is the familiar spelling of the 1988 film’s title. The spellings vary in credits and listings, so the clearest answer depends on whether you mean the character or the movie.
Beetlejuice vs. Betelgeuse: Which name belongs to the character?
The American Film Institute’s catalog identifies Keaton’s character as Betelgeuse and connects the name to the star Betelgeuse, also known as Alpha Orionis. The film is widely known as Beetlejuice. Apple TV’s listing bridges the two spellings by crediting Keaton as “Betelgeuse (Beetlejuice).”
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| 1 |
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) (Blu-ray) | $9.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Beetlejuice (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) | $16.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Beetlejuice | $3.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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| 5 |
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The distinction is useful, but it is not a rule that every credit or release follows consistently. AFI notes that the onscreen credits render the title as two words, “Beetle Juice”; early industry mentions also used two words, while most contemporary reviews and articles at the time used the one-word form. For the character, use Betelgeuse when referring to the AFI catalog spelling; for the film, Beetlejuice is the familiar title.
Sources: AFI Catalog; Apple TV.
What does Betelgeuse mean?
The character’s name refers to the star Betelgeuse in Orion. NASA says the star’s traditional name comes from Arabic and means “the hand of al-Jawza’,” referring to a female figure in old Arabian legend. A separate NASA Marshall Space Flight Center account notes that the name may instead reflect a mistranslation of the Arabic phrase Ibṭ al-Jauzā’; with differences in pronunciation, it could mean “the armpit of Orion.”
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These are reported explanations, not a single uncontested English translation. NASA’s traditional-meaning page was last updated July 25, 2025; the Marshall Space Flight Center article discussing the alternate rendering is dated September 6, 2024.
Sources: NASA, “NASA Scientist Finds Predicted Companion Star to Betelgeuse”; NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, “Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse!”.
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- Item Name: Beetlejuice
- Product Type: PHYSICAL FILM
- Brand: Warner Brothers
Why is the film called Beetlejuice?
Director Tim Burton recalled that, late in production during marketing, the studio wanted to replace the title after saying its research showed that nobody liked it. The proposed alternative was House Ghosts. Burton said he argued to keep Beetlejuice, and the original title remained.
That is Burton’s account of a proposed marketing change; it does not establish that the spelling was chosen solely to make the name easier to pronounce. Nor should the studio’s reported research be treated as an independently verified audience statistic.
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Source: PBS American Masters, Tim Burton interview, December 10, 2009.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the name carries into the sequel
The distinction between character name and film branding continues in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Warner Bros. Pictures’ official synopsis confirms that Michael Keaton returns to the role. The sequel’s title uses the familiar film spelling, while AFI’s character reference uses Betelgeuse.
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Source: Warner Bros. Pictures, official synopsis.
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