AMC’s $31 ‘Beetlejuice’ cocktail is going viral for the wrong reasons

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is back in the headlines following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last week—and this time, it’s for all the wrong reasons.

These days, AMC Theatres isn’t just trying to shove its premium 3D, Prime, IMAX, and Dolby screenings down your throat. No, it also wants you to open your stupid gaping maw to consume its latest alcoholic creation, the “Sandworm Slayer”—a vodka-based cocktail that looks to celebrate the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Now that some have had the chance to try it, the reviews are in: it’s probably not worth the hefty price tag.

AMC’s viral Beetlejuice Beetlejuice cocktail stirs up controversy online

If you’re not familiar with the MacGuffins Bar, then you’re seriously missing out. This is, of course, the local watering hole for AMC A-Listers and casual cinephiles alike. MacGuffins isn’t exactly known for testing the limits of modern mixology, but it does what it needs to do. However, like any food or beverage option at AMC, ordering drinks can get spendy pretty quickly—and the Sandworm Slayer is no exception.

Depending on liquor tax laws where you live, the 24-ounce cocktail will cost you anywhere between $21 to $31 if you just so happen to reside in a state like Oregon, Washington, or Illinois. So, is it worth it? According to AMC’s official description of the drink, the Sandworm Slayer is “mixed with premium vodka and sprinkled with sour candy worms,” with flavors of “blue and black raspberry,” so if that’s up your alley and you’ve got money to blow on concessions, then hey, give it a whirl.

Understandably, some moviegoers (like X user Andrew Woods) weren’t too pleased to find out that the Beetlejuice-themed cocktail came at such a steep price, especially considering the drink doesn’t offer much in the way of aesthetics. With a pretty sloppy presentation, it doesn’t matter how good it may taste—that’s a baffling amount of money to blow on one drink. At least it’s a full 24 ounces, but still.

It’s worth noting that AMC’s latest MacGuffins debacle is just one of many. Back in 2022, I remember being dragged to the AMC at Universal CityWalk Hollywood to see James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water in all its headache-inducing, 3D glory. To power through it, I mistakenly ordered the chillingly blue, horrifically glittery Avatar cocktail, which was, essentially, a spiked lemonade with microplastics. Two of them cost $50.

Thankfully, this was a rare instance, as I normally love cozying up to the AMC bar before a movie—you get Stubs points for every dollar spent anyway. It almost makes that $17 Moscow mule worth it! And dare I say, the cocktail program … kind of rules? These bartenders have a heavier pour than you’d think. So from the sound of it, the Sandworm Slayer wasn’t necessarily bad. Rather, buyers were simply blindsided by its price. After all, the Twisters-themed Twisted Tea cocktail was easily a 5/5 for me.

Why is there always someone sipping wine out of a plastic cup before a Tuesday matinee, you might ask? This is AMC, baby! The Wild West of chain movie theaters. Texting during the middle of your showing? Go for it! No one is going to stop you. So from one AMC-pilled cocktail enthusiast to another, it’s up to you how you want to spend your hard-earned money. But given that a large popcorn/drink combo will set you back $29.47 (in southern California, at least), maybe settle for a Miller Lite, yeah?