Ghostbusters Officially Becomes Billion-Dollar Franchise

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire may have been the biggest blockbuster to celebrate its opening last weekend but it was up against the Sydney Sweeney-led horror flick, Immaculate, and the box office’s running champs, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two and the DreamWorks Animation flick, Kung Fu Panda 4. Still, the fourth movie to come from the spooky-silly franchise scared up the bragging rights of the second-biggest first-weekend box office haul with 2016’s female-heavy Ghostbusters reboot holding down the number one spot.

Blending the old with the new, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire picks up following the events of the 2021 feature, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which reinvigorated the tale of the titular ghost catchers and brought their story to a new generation. This time around, the Spengler family (Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace) and Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) have relocated to New York City only to find that there’s another battle around the corner. It’s here that audiences will join the Ghostbusters on their biggest mission yet, return to the old firehouse, and catch up with a slew of familiar faces from yesteryear.

The heroes are popping out of the woodwork in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and William Atherton reprising their roles from the original batch of films. The movie also features performances from Celeste O’Connor, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, and more. This time around, Jason Reitman (the son of Ivan Reitman – the first helmer of the Ghostbuster films) scooted the director’s chair to Gil Kenan after having picked up his late father’s torch to helm Afterlife. Reitman did, however, stay fully involved as a co-writer and producer for Frozen Empire.

First arriving on screens in 1984, Ghostbusters became an immediate success for Ivan Reitman and his creative team as the horror-comedy redefined the genre. The first film in what’s now a series that spans five movies was penned by two of its stars – Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Tapping into some of the biggest names in ‘80s comedy and beyond, the creative team was able to nab the likes of not only Aykroyd and Ramis but also Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, and Ernie Hudson. 

The movie was an immediate success, roping audiences in with its fun one-liners, team dynamic, and – of course – fun VFX effects that brought unruly ghosts onto the streets of Manhattan. From here, Columbia Pictures greenlit a sequel, with much of the main cast returning for 1989’s Ghostbusters II. The franchise would then lay dormant for more than two decades before Paul Feig resurrected it with 2016’s Ghostbusters which largely remains a divisive title among fans.

As for the most recent sequels – Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – it seems like – at least in a box office sense – audiences are ready for more chilling yet comedic stories to come from the beloved franchise – just as long as the key characters are involved.

Source: Deadline