Summary
Ghostbustersis one of the most cherished franchisesin history, thanks to its legendary cast and balanced mix of horror, sci-fi, and edgy comedy. The comedic band of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudsonmade an entire generation want to suit up in tan jumpsuits and chase ghosts with proton packs. After the polarizing release of the 2016Ghostbustersreboot, the franchise was revived again in 2021 with thesuccessful release ofGhostbusters: Afterlife,welcoming new fans and old into this supernatural world of science and magic. This paved the way forGhostbusters: Frozen Empirein 2024.
6 Problems With Ghostbusters' Future After Frozen Empire’s $200M Disappointment
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s box office earnings could spell disaster for the future of the franchise as studios reconsider its value.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Is Now Streaming On Netflix
Netflix Is Banking On Nostalgia And Blockbusters To Retain Subscribers
Netflix hopes to draw in viewers with familiar franchises and ride the wave of nostalgia for as long as audiences will allow it.Ghostbusters: Frozen Empirefits the bill as it reunites most of the remainingcore cast members ofGhostbustersandGhostbusters II, and the crew is back in New York City, operating in their old Firehouse HQ. Struggling to compete in the streaming market,Netflix has been adding many fan-favorite titles to its library, includingBeverly Hills Cop,Spider-Man, andBack to the Future.Ghostbusters: Frozen Empirecontinues this trend – despite its box office struggles.
Netflix will also release aGhostbustersanimated serieswith Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan as executive producers. This new series has the potential tomirror the success ofThe Real Ghostbustersanimated series, which ran from 1986 to 1991.FrozenEmpire’s access to a larger audience, combined with the new animated series, is hopeful that this release will create enough buzz for Columbia Pictures and Sony to continue expanding the Ghost Corps Universe and resurrect its fortunes after the blockbuster’s theatrical difficulties.
The 1986 cartoon had to be titledThe Real Ghostbustersbecause of a dispute with another animated series,Ghostbusters, which came out earlier that same year.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s Theatrical Release Underwhelmed
Frozen Empire Struggled To Pique Audiences' Interest in Theaters
Coming off the moderate success ofGhostbusters: Afterlife,Frozen Empirewas set to be released in the Winter of 2023. However, the film was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. It was finally released in March 2024, and the reception was mixed at best.Frozen Empiregrossed just over $200 million,ultimately underperformingAfterlife, despite its stronger opening weekend. A lack of audience enthusiasm saw the film’s performance drop 65% by its second weekend.
Critics blamed the film’s overcrowded cast and strangely lethargic tone. Frozen Empire was slammed for taking itself too seriously while lacking the same comedic charm the previous films are known for.
The film received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 42%, makingGhostbusters: Frozen Empirethe franchise’s lowest-rated on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics blamed the film’sovercrowded cast and strangely lethargic tone.Frozen Empirewas slammed for taking itself too seriously while lacking the same comedic charm the previous films are known for.
$100 million
$201.1 million
42%
83%
Despite its lackluster theater run, the Netflix release might be just what the movie needs to get a second wind.Afterlifedid a great job of continuing the story and paying tribute to the previous films while maintaining a serious tone.Ghostbusters: Frozen Empirecarried on with a similar tone, but it didn’t excite audiences enough to tempt them to theaters. However, pairing it with a lighthearted animated series along with access to a wider audience could get people fired up about thecontinuation of theGhostbustersfranchise.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Cast
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire continues the story of a new generation of ghost hunters composed of Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Podcast (Logan Kim), who received help from the original team in the previous movie. Paul Rudd returns as Gary Grooberson and franchise co-creator Ivan Reitman returns to write and produce.
