The new GHOSTBUSTERS movie was—being put mildly—met with lukewarm reception from fans of the original and the casual audience alike. Some have said it's for reasons that have been called misogynistic, others that it’s simply because the studio was messing with a treasured classic, and many just because they thought it sucked. Whatever the reason, there was just something people didn’t like about that movie. Now, that dislike has been reflected in the box office numbers, to the point where plans for the once “inevitable” sequel may now be deader than, well, a ghost.
A little while ago we reported that GHOSTBUSTERS was not going to be released in China, and how that may hurt the film's overall revenue. After the film came out to a respectable $46 million domestic opening, president of worldwide distribution at Sony, Rory Bruer, came out saying a sequel was "no doubt" going to happen. But a report from The Hollywood Reporter says the film, having made just around $180 million globally on a $144 million budget (before advertising), will look to lose about $70 million. If true, the sequel balloon looks to have popped.
Jeff Block, a box-office analysist, had some blunt words on the matter:
Ghostbusters is on ice until further notice. I just can't fathom the creative talents behind it — Feig, McCarthy, Wiig, etc. — slogging out another one when the reception to the first one was so mediocre."
The report states that, despite having yet to be released in certain countries like Japan and Mexico, the movie would have to make near $300 million to break even, and at this rate, will probably struggle to get near $225 million.
However, a Sony rep disputes the amount that will be lost, citing outside variables like accompanying video games, at-home release, etc.:
This loss calculation is way off. With multiple revenue streams, including consumer products, gaming, location-based entertainment, continued international rollout, and huge third-party promotional partnerships that mitigated costs, the bottom line, even before co-financing, is not remotely close to that number."
Though the rep seems pretty confident the loss won’t be that big, given the poor reception of the film and the undoubtedly disappointing box office numbers, I happen to agree with Block that a sequel is probably out of the question at the moment. All these other variables the rep is talking about may take time to prove profitable, and in an age where sequels and franchises need to be in constant motion, a sequel may be wishful thinking at this point—which many on the internet may consider a win. You win this round, internet!