35 years later, Tim Burton's best movies aren’t known for being blockbuster successes. Rather, they're loved for their signature gothic tone and practical visuals, as well as their weird worlds and unique characters. The director's filmography has some contrasting titles, ranging from great to controversial to middling, and consists mainly of remakes of popular stories and Burton originals.

Notably, Burton's response to a possible The Nightmare Before Christmas sequel, as well as for any possible original future projects. While he has confirmed his next remake, Burton will probably need something bigger if he ever wants to repeat his 1989 box office success.

1989's Batman Is Still Tim Burton's Only Movie To Finish #1 At The Yearly Box Office

Burton's Biggest Box Office Hits Are Remakes

Even if he is most known for his auteur movies, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was the first Burton original to even approach the top 10 highest-grossing movies of its release year. The director's few box office successes are actually remakes of already hugely popular stories. With his version of the Batman franchise, particularly, Burton claimed a place in the most profitable movies of their respective years, a feat he hasn't repeated since then. The 1989 Batman ended up at #1 at the box office, while its sequels gained places #2 and #3 in the following years.

While the earnings of his Batman adaptations don't look like much today, it was a huge success for the time. The first installment had a budget of approximately $35 million and received a worldwide box office gross of $401 million. Compared to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice's reduced budget, for example — less than $100 million and earning $451 million — Batman made about 11 times what it cost, while Beetlejuice 2 produced about 5 times its budget. Burton repeating a feat like Batman's is somewhat dependent on whether he continues making cult-like originals, or adapts popular characters that ensure a big profit.

Alice In Wonderland Came Close To Giving Tim Burton Another Highest-Grossing Movie Of The Year

Tim Burton's Revived Horror Style Might Give Him A Chance At Breaking His Box Office Record

Other than Batman, there is only one Burton movie that came close to gaining number one at the box office, and it was the 2010s Alice in Wonderland. The Disney live-action remake ended in second place with $1,025,467,110, only about $40 million short of beating Toy Story 3 at #1. Although Tim Burton's rare success with Alice in Wonderland is a positive career standout, the movie didn't perform as well with critics or audiences and preceded the infamous 2019 Dumbo adaption that ended Burton's collaboration with Disney.

Considering how Burton will now remake Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, but it remains to be seen if the movie will manage to break the director's poor remake trend. However, after Wednesday and Beetlejuice 2’s huge success, if Tim Burton continues picking projects that align with his macabre interests and unconventional vision, he might have a chance of repeating his box office record, and the sci-fi classic might be just the thing.

Source: Box Office Mojo