Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Aims High At Box Office, Is It Set To Fail Or Will It Overperform?
Dune Part Two just passed the half-billion dollar mark at the global box office, and now Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the next big blockbuster that will try to bring in a haul of its own. According to Variety, the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel is projected to bring in between $43 million to $45 million on its domestic opening weekend. Afterlife managed to bring in $44 million, so this would place the sequel squarely in the same ballpark.
A Larger Audience Is Needed
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is going to have to do a little better overall to be profitable. While Ghostbusters: Afterlife brought in a worldwide total of $204 million against a $75 million budget, Frozen Empire upped the budget to $100 million. So, hopefully, the sequel will be able to bring in a bigger audience this time around, especially since Afterlife’s 2021 release was on the tail end of the COVID pandemic.
The Returning Cast
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is directed by Gil Kenan, who was a co-writer on Afterlife. He took on the role from Afterlife’s Jason Reitman, son of the original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, who stayed on to co-write the screenplay for Frozen Empire. The film sees Afterlife stars Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Kim, and Celeste O’Connor reprising their roles along with OG cast members Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and William Atherton.
The Newcomers
Newcomers to the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire cast include Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster, and Emily Alyn Lind. The film takes place two years after Afterlife and follows veteran Ghosbusters and the new recruits as they try to save the world from a ghostly force that wants to start a new Ice Age. The film will also return to the original film’s setting of New York City, as the Spengler family sets up shop in the iconic Ghostbusters firehouse.
The Sweeney Factor
The only real competition for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on its opening weekend will be Sydney Sweeney’s Immaculate, which will have a more niche audience due to its R rating and scarier horror setting. Of course, Frozen Empire will also have to contend with latecomers checking out Dune: Part Two and Kung Fu Panda 4, which both continue to bring in impressive numbers. However, being the only big wide-appeal blockbuster opening that weekend should definitely be advantageous for the film.
Attack Of The Giant Monsters
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will definitely want to start off with a strong haul on its opening weekend, as the following weekend will see the release of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. There will definitely be a big audience crossover between these two Empire-subtitled films, so Ghostbusters could see a drop-off following its open weekend. Then again, reviews for both films could also sway audiences one way or another.
Ghostbusters Is Set For Success
In any case, the success of Ghostbusters: Afterlife definitely means that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has a strong chance of meeting or exceeding the box office expectations. We’ll just have to wait and see when the film hits theaters. You can catch Frozen Empire in theaters this weekend.
Source: Variety
