Beetlejuice runs 92 minutes — one hour and 32 minutes — including its end credits. There is no post-credits scene, so once Harry Belafonte's "Jump in the Line" starts playing over the credit roll, the film is over. That 92-minute figure is the one carried on every official record: the studio release data, a national film institute catalogue, library videodisc records, and the UK classification page for the film's most recent re-release. Shorter numbers you may see in cinema listings are rounding and programme estimates, not the measured length of the film.
Table of Contents
- The 92-minute runtime, and why some listings say 88
- Planning your viewing time
- What plays over the end credits
- Is there a longer cut or a director's cut?
- Which version has the best picture and sound
- Where to watch it now
- Frequently Asked Questions
The 92-minute runtime, and why some listings say 88
The standard theatrical and home-video version is 92 minutes. The Numbers' release record for Beetlejuice gives that runtime alongside Warner Bros. as distributor and a US release date of March 30, 1988. The Danish Film Institute's film database independently records the same 92 minutes for Tim Burton's 1988 feature — a government film catalogue arriving at the same number as the studio data. US library catalogues agree.
The New York Public Library's research catalogue describes the videodisc edition as "1 videodisc, 92 min." and carries the film's PG rating from the MPAA. Shorter figures do circulate. Into Film lists the film at 88 minutes with a 12 certificate, and Queen's Film Theatre advertises it as 1 hour 31 minutes. Those are venue and programme listings, which round and sometimes reflect a trimmed or differently timed print. They are not a measurement of the film, and they are the single biggest reason you will see three different numbers in one afternoon of searching.
Planning your viewing time
If you are building an evening around it, 92 minutes is the number to use — and in practice you should budget a little more. The brevity is part of why the film holds up on rewatch. At 92 minutes it is roughly 40 minutes shorter than a typical modern studio comedy-horror, and nothing in it is padded out to fill a longer slot.
- **Streaming at home:** about 1 hour 32 minutes, start to finish, credits included.
- **In a cinema:** add 15 to 25 minutes for trailers and pre-show, so expect to be in your seat closer to two hours.
- **Double feature:** two viewings plus a short break fits comfortably inside three and a half hours.
- **Leaving early:** safe. Nothing plays after the credits.
What plays over the end credits
The credits are scored to Harry Belafonte's 1961 recording "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)". Per Gold Radio's account of Belafonte's role in the film, the track begins during Lydia Deetz's mid-air final scene and carries straight through the credit roll. There is no stinger, tag, or post-credits gag waiting at the end of it.
Belafonte appears four times across the film: "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", "Jump in the Line", "Man Smart, Woman Smarter" and "Sweetheart from Venezuela", interleaved with Danny Elfman's original score. The soundtrack album lists Elfman's own "End Credits" cue ahead of the Belafonte track, which is a useful detail if you are hunting for the music you actually heard — the song over the visible credits is Belafonte's, not Elfman's cue. So if you are the kind of viewer who waits through every credit roll on principle, you can relax for this one. Stay for the music if you want it; nothing is being withheld from you if you don't.
Is there a longer cut or a director's cut?
No. There is no official extended cut, director's cut, or alternate edit of Beetlejuice. Every legitimate release is the same 92-minute film. The version to look for if you want more than the feature is the 2008 20th Anniversary Edition, which carries the extras: deleted scenes, cast and crew interviews, and making-of material.
Workprint footage does exist — Bloody Disgusting has covered unearthed workprint scenes surfacing on YouTube — but that material has never appeared on a studio release and is not part of any authorized version. One practical consequence: if a listing or seller advertises an "extended" or "uncut" Beetlejuice, treat it as a mislabel. The UK classification is a useful cross-check here. The BBFC's release page for Beetlejuice gives a running time of about 92 minutes with content descriptors covering horror, sex references, language and suicide references, classified in 2023 for a 2024 UK release — the newest official pass over the film, still at the same length.
Which version has the best picture and sound
Warner Bros. released the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in the US on September 1, 2020. The Digital Bits' coverage of that release describes a new 4K scan of the original camera negative with an HDR10 grade and a Dolby Atmos mix.
The trade-off is worth knowing before you buy. The 4K disc is the best-looking and best-sounding version, but reviewers noted it added no new bonus features — and the runtime is the same 92 minutes. If you already own the 20th Anniversary Edition for its extras, the 4K upgrade buys you presentation, not content. If you own nothing, the 4K disc plus the older edition is the complete picture.
Where to watch it now
In the US the film streams on HBO Max, including through the HBO Max Amazon Channel. Per Moviefone's where-to-watch listing, with prices updated October 7, 2026, rental starts around $2.99 and digital purchase around $14.99 on Apple TV, Prime Video and Fandango at Home.
It is not on Netflix, and availability shifts by region and by month. If you are outside the US, check a regional aggregator such as JustWatch rather than assuming the HBO Max listing applies — and if the film is leaving a service you subscribe to, the $2.99 rental is a 92-minute commitment, not a weekend one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Beetlejuice have a post-credits scene?
No. "Jump in the Line" plays over the credit roll and the film ends there, so you can leave as soon as the credits start.
Why do some cinemas list Beetlejuice as 88 minutes or 1h 31m?
Those are programme listings, which round or reflect a particular print. Official records — studio release data, the Danish Film Institute, library catalogues and the BBFC — all give 92 minutes.
What rating does Beetlejuice carry?
PG from the MPAA in the US. The BBFC's 2023 classification for the 2024 UK release flags horror, sex references, language and suicide references.