Sony’s sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, called Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, is expected to have an opening of around $45 million. This is an improvement over the previous installment, which was released during the pandemic in 2021 and opened at $44 million, eventually earning $129 million domestically. The Ghostbusters franchise has earned $945.2 million across four movies, and this upcoming fifth title is likely to push the brand past the $1 billion mark, possibly even this weekend.
This week, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is set to play at a staggering 4,300 theaters, and it is expected to dominate the box office. The movie will be shown on all premium large format screens and a majority of the IMAX screens, although some theaters will still be playing “Dune: Part Two”. Previews of the film will start at 2 PM on Thursday in approximately 3,600 locations. This is exciting news for moviegoers, as it means there will be plenty of options for those looking to spend their spring break at the cinema. According to Comscore, this Friday will see 15% of K-12 schools off and 15% of colleges on break. These numbers are expected to skyrocket on Good Friday (March 29th), with 77% of K-12 schools and 39% of colleges on break. Overall, this should be an excellent week for the movie industry, and fans of the “Ghostbusters” franchise will undoubtedly be delighted to see their favorite characters back on the big screen.
This weekend, the highly anticipated movie Frozen Empire will be released in 25 markets overseas, which is expected to represent around 55% of the international box office. The movie is expected to perform exceptionally well in the UK, Mexico, Australia, Spain, and Germany. Meanwhile, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the 2021 reboot of the beloved comedy series, was aimed at reinvigorating the franchise’s loyal male fans after Sony’s previous attempt to do an all-female comedy in 2016 with Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and Leslie Jones. Despite opening to a respectable $46 million and eventually grossing $128.3 million domestically, the film received a CinemaScore of B+, indicating that it wasn’t as well-received by fans as expected.
The latest installment of the Ghostbusters franchise, titled “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”, has been generating a lot of buzz lately. Directed by Jason Reitman and co-starring original cast members Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, the film was recently screened at the August 2021 CinemaCon, where it received high praise from attendees who described it as a nostalgic tribute to the sci-fi and fantasy movies of the 1980s, particularly those produced by Steven Spielberg. The film has also received positive ratings from audiences, earning an A- CinemaScore. As for critical reception, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” has earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 64%, which is the third best rating in the entire franchise. It’s worth noting that there are currently no Rotten Tomatoes reviews available yet for the upcoming film “Frozen Empire”.
In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the franchise’s original director, Jason Reitman, has stepped down and handed over the reins to his co-writer, Gil Kenan. The decision was made with the blessing of Ivan Reitman, the original Ghostbusters director and Jason’s father, who unfortunately passed away before the release of the movie. The story follows a family who discovers an ancient artifact in their new home, unleashing a malevolent force that threatens to plunge the world into a new ice age. The Ghostbusters, old and new, must come together to confront this evil and protect their home while saving the world from a catastrophic fate.
Ghostbusters has always been a property that has performed well domestically. The latest installment, Afterlife, made 67% of its $204.3M global box office revenue in the U.S. and Canada. Similarly, the 2016 version of the movie generated 56% of its $229.1M worldwide box office revenue in the U.S. In addition, Ghostbusters tends to appeal more to an older male audience. For instance, 60% of the audience for Afterlife comprised of males, with 72% over the age of 25 and 47% over the age of 35. Sony is targeting families with teens and older kids for this movie, but men above the age of 25 are the primary target audience. Women above the age of 25 are also showing interest in the movie. The sequel to the movie is expected to perform even better than Afterlife, as it is tracking substantially higher. It is important to note that Covid-19 had an impact on the numbers for Afterlife, which released 8 1/2 months after cinemas reopened in major markets like LA, NYC, and San Francisco.
Sydney Sweeney, the talented American actress, is all set to scare us with her latest horror flick, Immaculate, directed by Michael Mohan. The movie premiered at the SXSW festival and has received a decent rating of 70%. Sweeney is a horror movie, featuring scary nuns. Despite the movie showing similar interest among both men and women as seen in Barbarian from New Regency/20th Century Studios, which earned $10.5 million in its opening weekend, Immaculate is expected to open with low single-digit figures, given its limited release across around 2,354 theaters.
