Director Paul Feig's controversial reboot of GHOSTBUSTERS is now in theatres, having opened in second place with a solid $46 million. While it has a way to go before it recoups its $144 million budget, that is the biggest opening for a live action comedy since TED 2's $33.5 million in June of 2015 and surpasses the opening weekends of Feig and star Melissa McCarthy's previous collaborations.
One person who is certain that GHOSTBUSTERS will make enough at the box office to warrant the greenlighting of a sequel is Sony's president of worldwide distribution, Rory Bruer. Speaking with TheWrap, Bruer said, "The GHOSTBUSTERS world is alive and well. I expect GHOSTBUSTERS to become an important brand and franchise. While nothing has been officially announced yet, there’s no doubt in my mind it will happen."
Written by Feig and Katie Dippold, the new GHOSTBUSTERS has the following synopsis:
Dead criminals from all eras of New York’s underbelly past have returned to roost among the living in Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot. Pilgrims, old-timey sailors, Revolutionary War spirits, and even a couple of zoot-suited gangsters are ready to take on four formidable female busters looking to rid the city of its phantasmic filth.
The new team of 'busters assembled by Feig consists of McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, and one would assume they would be putting the proton packs back on for a sequel. As those who have seen the new movie know, there is a reference dropped that indicates a follow-up might feature the return of Zuul from the original, 1984 GHOSTBUSTERS.
I caught a showing of the movie over the weekend, and while I had a couple issues with it I found it to be entertaining overall. I liked the new team, and was especially impressed by the oddball performance delivered by McKinnon. I would be glad to see this group bust some more ghosts.
While we wait to hear exactly what is going to happen with the live action GHOSTBUSTERS, Sony is already developing an animated GHOSTBUSTERS movie that will be directed by Fletcher Moules.