When a movie grosses over $100 million at the box office and is considered a failure, you know that it is indeed possible to be too big and still fail. As is the case with 2016’s Ghostbusters. Infused with girl power – to the point where some complainers (mostly men) felt a remake of the 1984 comedy was a crime against humanity (or something) – Paul Feig’s reboot was assaulted by online commentators and YouTubers long before the comedy hit theaters. Upon release it got a nice aggregate score by critics (unlike, say, Suicide Squad) and looked to be doing okay its opening weekend where it grossed $46 million.
After the mid-July bow Sony executives thought a sequel to the all-female remake was assured. Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution at Sony declared, “While nothing has been officially announced yet, there’s no doubt in my mind it will happen.” It’s now August and the comedy has only made $117 million domestic and another $62.8 million in foreign territories. With a net production budget of $144 million and tens of millions spent on marketing, Ghostbusters would break-even at $300 million, which is highly unlikely despite having not opened in markets like France, Japan and Mexico.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the franchise may switch gears and go from live-action to animation and make its way to theaters in 2019. Already in the pipeline for 2018 is the animated TV series, Ghostbusters: Ecto Force.
As of now, stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon are still signed on for two potential sequels.
How much revenue loss is still uncertain as the estimated $70 million loss does not account for merchandising and other revenue streams.
