While director Ivan Reitman’s original 1984 classic “Ghostbusters” ($295 million worldwide) remains one of the most beloved mainstream comedies in history, that film was more of an exception rather than a rule, at least as far as rest of the franchise. . Virtually every other entry topped just over $200 million globally, without accounting for inflation. “Ghostbusters II” ($215 million), 2016’s female-led “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” reboot ($229 million) and 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” ($203 million) were all in the same ballpark . The audience is certainly loyal, but also a little limited.
Sony made a slight miscalculation after the moderate success of “Afterlife” in 2021. That film, directed by Jason Reitman, had a budget of just $75 million. Because of the other revenue streams that come from a “Ghostbusters” movie, this was enough to get the sequel greenlit. Unfortunately, director Gil Kenan’s follow-up was a bit more expensive, and with nearly identical attendance, which pretty much doomed it to lose money in its theatrical run (not to mention the fact that critics didn’t think it was very good). But on a long enough timeline, the studio will likely find a way to get out of the red.
As for the future, it is highly unlikely that this iteration of the franchise will continue. We have a new “Ghostbusters” animated series in the works on Netflixand for now it seems like a better path for the future of the franchise, at least for now.
“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is now in theaters and on VOD.
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