''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' is a 2024 American

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

comedy horror film Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

directed by

Gil Kenan Gil Kenan (; born October 16, 1976) is a British–American filmmaker. He is best known for directing ''Monster House (film), Monster House'' (2006), which earned him an Academy Awards, Academy Award nomination for Academy Award for Best Animated ...

from a screenplay he co-wrote with

Jason Reitman Jason R. Reitman (; born October 19, 1977) is a Canadian–American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films ''Thank You for Smoking'' (2005), ''Juno (film), Juno'' (2007), ''Up in the Air (2009 film), Up in the Air'' (2009), ''Young ...

. It is the sequel to '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' (2021), the fourth mainline installment, and the fifth film overall in the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. The film stars

Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. Rudd studied theatre at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his acting debut in 1991. He was included on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 li ...

Carrie Coon Carrie Alexandra Coon (born January 24, 1981) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex characters on stage and screen, she has received a Critics' Choice Television Award, as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards a ...

Finn Wolfhard Finn Michael Wolfhard (born December 23, 2002) is a Canadian actor, musician, and film director. He is known for playing Mike Wheeler on the Netflix series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). He also played Richie Tozier in the horror film ...

Mckenna Grace Mckenna Grace (born June 25, 2006) is an American actress and singer. Born in Grapevine, Texas, she began acting professionally at age five and relocated to Los Angeles, California, as a child. Her earliest roles included Jasmine Bernstein in ...

Celeste O'Connor Celeste O'Connor (born December 2, 1998) is an American actor. They played Paloma Davis in the Amazon Studios#List of original films, Amazon original film ''Selah and the Spades''. Early life and education Celeste O'Connor was born on December ...

, and Logan Kim reprising their roles from ''Afterlife'', alongside

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian, known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Bill Murra ...

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...

Ernie Hudson Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. Hudson has also acted in the films ''Leviathan'' (1989), '' The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'' (19 ...

Annie Potts Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for '' Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty ...

, and

William Atherton William Atherton (born July 30, 1947) is an American actor. He had starring roles in ''The Sugarland Express'' (1974), '' The Day of the Locust'' (1975), '' The Hindenburg'' (1975) and '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977), but is most recognized ...

reprising their characters from the earlier films.

Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ; Urdu: کمیل علی نانجیانی; born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019) and for co-writi ...

Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His acting roles include Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–2023) as adult ...

Emily Alyn Lind Emily Alyn Lind (born ) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, when she was known for her recurring role as young Amanda Clarke on the ABC series ''Revenge'', and for her role as Ariel on the CBS medical drama '' Cod ...

, and

James Acaster James William Acaster (; born 9 January 1985) is an English comedian, presenter, podcaster and actor. As well as the stand-up specials ''James Acaster: Repertoire, Repertoire'' and ''Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999'', he is known for co-hosting ...

also join the cast. Set three years after the events of ''Afterlife'', the veteran Ghostbusters must join forces with their successors to save the world from a death-chilling god in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

who seeks to build a spectral army. Following the success of ''Afterlife'',

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

announced the sequel in April 2022, with Reitman returning as director. Co-writer and executive producer Kenan later took over as director that December, with Reitman staying on as a co-writer and co-producer. That same month, Rudd, Coon, Grace, Wolfhard, O'Connor, Kim, Murray, Aykroyd, Hudson, Potts and Atherton were all confirmed to reprise their roles. New cast members including Nanjiani, Oswalt, Lind, and Acaster were announced in March 2023, with

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

commencing that month and wrapping in June.

Dario Marianelli Dario Marianelli (born 21 June 1963) is an Italian composer. Early life Marianelli was born in Pisa, Italy. He studied piano and composition in Florence and in 1990 he moved to London. After a year as a postgraduate composer at the Guildhall Sch ...

was hired to compose the film's score, replacing ''Afterlife'' composer Rob Simonsen. As the first film in the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise to be released following the death of the franchise's co-creator and Jason Reitman's father

Ivan Reitman Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946 – February 12, 2022) was a Canadian film director and producer. He was known for his comedy films, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. Reitman was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998. ...

, who posthumously receives credit as a producer alongside his son and Jason Blumenfeld, the film is dedicated to his memory and celebrates the 40th anniversary of ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, three eccentric ...

''. ''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' had its world premiere at the AMC 13 Theater at Lincoln Square in New York City on March 14, 2024, and was released in the United States on March 22 by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

(via

Sony Pictures Releasing Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013, and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment to manage its motion picture operatio ...

). It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $202 million worldwide. A sequel is in development.

Plot

Three years after the events in Summerville,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, Callie Spengler, her boyfriend Gary Grooberson, her children Trevor and Phoebe, and their friends Lucky Domingo and Podcast, relocate to New York City to aid

Winston Zeddemore Winston Zeddemore, PhD is a fictional character appearing in the ''Ghostbusters'' films, TV series, and video games. He is played by Ernie Hudson in the films ''Ghostbusters'', ''Ghostbusters II'', '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' and '' Ghostbust ...

and

Ray Stantz Raymond Stantz, PhD, is a fictional character from the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. He appears in the films '' Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Ghostbusters II'' (1989), '' Casper'' (1995, as a cameo), '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' (2021) and '' Ghostbus ...

in re-establishing the Ghostbusters. After the group captures a ghost known as the Hell's Kitchen Sewer Dragon, Walter Peck, the Ghostbusters' long-time opponent and the city's mayor, threatens to close them down. To appease Peck, Callie removes Phoebe from the team for being underage. Upset, Phoebe plays chess in a nearby park, where she encounters and befriends Melody, a ghost of a teenage girl killed in a fire. Ray and Podcast collect cursed objects for examination. Nadeem Razmaadi sells them a strange brass orb with ritual markings written in

Mesopotamian Arabic Mesopotamian Arabic (), also known as Iraqi Arabic or the Iraqi dialect (), or just as Iraqi (), is a group of varieties of Arabic spoken in the Mesopotamian basin of Iraq, as well as in Syria, southeastern Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and Iraqi diaspora ...

. Ray determines it is an

apotropaic Apotropaic magic (From ) or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superstition or out of tr ...

trap due to copper alloys typically being used in rituals since the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, believed to have spiritual conductivity. When Ray evaluates its psychokinetic energy levels, the orb emits broad-spectrum psionic energy. A cold wave travels from the orb to the Ghostbusters' firehouse headquarters and damages the ecto-containment unit, which is at near capacity. Winston takes the orb to his company's paranormal research and development center, run by Dr. Lars Pinfield. Using an experimental extraction device, he is unable to extract any

orenda Orenda is the Haudenosaunee name for a certain spiritual energy inherent in people and their environment. It is an "extraordinary invisible power believed by the Iroquois Native Americans to pervade in varying degrees in all animate and inanim ...

from it. The orb's captive psychically sabotages one of the center's ecto-confinements, allowing a ghost known as The Possessor to escape and hide in Podcast's equipment. To learn more, Lars joins Trevor and Lucky to see Nadeem, who reveals that his grandmother kept the orb hidden within a brass-lined chamber.

Peter Venkman Peter Venkman, PhD is a fictional character from the Ghostbusters (franchise), ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. He appears in the films ''Ghostbusters'', ''Ghostbusters II'', ''Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', ''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' and in the anim ...

, brought in to help, discovers Nadeem has latent pyrokinetic powers. Ray, accompanied by Phoebe and Podcast, visits Dr. Hubert Wartzki, a New York Public Library research librarian and anthropologist. Wartzki explains the orb was built over 4,000 years ago in Southwest Asia by four sorcerers called the Firemasters to imprison Garraka, a phantom god who sought to conquer humanity with endowment of "Kusharit Umoti", the Death Chill, the power to kill by fear itself. Nadeem's grandmother was of the lineage of the Firemasters, who prevented Garraka from escaping the orb in 1904 during a mock ritual conducted by members of the Manhattan Adventurers' Society, whom he froze to death. Garraka was confined in the orb due to being vulnerable to brass. This, combined with fire, and the removal of his horns trapped him within the orb. When the trio attempts to stop the escaped Possessor from stealing a phonographic recording of the club's ritual, Peck exploits Phoebe's involvement to shut down the Ghostbusters. After an argument with Gary and her mother, Phoebe runs away and takes Melody to Winston's research center. She uses his extraction equipment to project herself as a ghost for two minutes so the pair can physically interact. Melody reveals she had been secretly working with Garraka, who has offered her passage to the afterlife. By controlling Phoebe's disembodied spirit, Garraka forces her physical body to recite the ritual chant. He then escapes, locates his horns of power in Nadeem's grandmother's secret brass-lined room, and begins freezing the city. Realizing Garraka will free the ghosts in the containment unit after freeing ones at the center, the Ghostbusters gather to defend their headquarters. They are aided by Nadeem, who dons the Firemaster brass armor kept by his grandmother and attempts to master his powers. Garraka overpowers them and breaches the containment unit. Phoebe electroplates

Egon Spengler Egon Spengler, PhD is a fictional character from the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. He appears in the films ''Ghostbusters'', ''Ghostbusters II'', and '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'', in the animated television series '' The Real Ghostbusters'' and '' ...

's proton pack with brass to strengthen it; Melody atones her misdeeds by helping Nadeem utilize his powers to weaken Garraka. Ray, with help from his fellow veteran Ghostbusters (including

Janine Melnitz Janine Melnitz is a fictional character in the ''Ghostbusters'' series. She is the Ghostbusters' secretary and confidante and occasionally, a ghostbuster herself. She was played by Annie Potts in the first two movies, and in ''The Real Ghostbust ...

), captures Garraka by turning the ruptured containment unit into a giant ghost trap. A passage is opened for Melody, and she reconciles with Phoebe before departing for the afterlife to reunite with her family. As the city thaws, the Ghostbusters are hailed as heroes again, with Peck forced to support the team and reinstate Phoebe. The Ghostbusters begin pursuing escaped ghosts, including the Sewer Dragon and

Slimer Slimer, originally referred to as "Onionhead" and sometimes "the Mean Green Ghost" and "Ugly Little Spud", is a character from the Ghostbusters (franchise), ''Ghostbusters'' franchise. He appears in the films ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Ghostbuste ...

across New York City. In a

mid-credits scene A post-credits scene (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV show, or video game has run. It is usually i ...

, a trucker gets out of his Stay Puft Marshmallows branded truck to make a purchase from a vending machine. The Mini-Pufts steal the semi in his absence.

Cast

Additionally, Kevin Mangold and Ian Whyte serve as the puppeteers for

and Garraka, respectively, though the latter's voice performers were uncredited.

Shelby Young Shelby Young (born 8 April 1992) is an American actress and voice actress. She is known for her roles on ''American Horror Story'', ''Days of Our Lives'', ''The Social Network'' and in the ''Star Wars'' video games, as well as her presence on so ...

and Ryan Bartley also appear uncredited as the voices of the Mini-Pufts, tiny versions and replicated forms of the

Stay Puft Marshmallow Man The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is a Fiction, fictional character from the Ghostbusters (franchise), ''Ghostbusters'' franchise, who appears as a giant, lumbering, and paranormal fluffy monster with a cute but also creepy looking smile on his face. ...

, with Young returning from ''

Afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

''.

John Rothman John Mahr Rothman (born June 3, 1949) is an American film, television, and stage actor. Life and career Rothman was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Elizabeth D. (née Davidson) and Donald N. Rothman, a lawyer. He is the brother of film ...

cameos as New York Public Library administrator Roger Delacorte, reprising his role from the first film.

Production

Development

Following the release of '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife'' in November 2021,

expressed interest in having the surviving cast of the original ''Ghostbusters'' team reprise their roles in up to three sequels. In April 2022, it was announced that a sequel to ''Afterlife'' was in early development at

. In June 2022, the film was confirmed by director

under the working title ''Firehouse''. That same month, it was announced that the sequel would take place in

. On October 5, 2022,

announced that she would reprise her role. The following month,

revealed he had read a script for the film. In December 2022, it was announced that

would take over as director from Reitman, who remained as a writer and producer. It was also announced that

and

would return. In March 2023, it was announced that

and

had been cast in the film. Lind's role was established in secrecy during pre-production. She met Reitman, Kenan, and casting director John Papsidera, and was not aware that she had the role until shortly before filming. According to Nanjiani, the filmmakers drew inspiration from the animated series ''

The Real Ghostbusters ''The Real Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, a spin-off and sequel of the 1984 comedy film ''Ghostbusters''. The series ran on ABC between September 13, 1986 and October 5, 1991, and was a joint production of DIC Enter ...

'' (1986–1991), noting they "wanted to make a long episode of the animated series".

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on March 20, 2023, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Shinfield Studios Shinfield Studios is a film and television studio located in Shinfield, Berkshire, England. Located approximately 37 miles from London, the studio is owned by Shadowbox Studios and finished construction in spring 2024. It is part of the newly ...

, under the working title ''Firehouse'', with

Eric Steelberg Eric Wesley Steelberg (born April 1, 1977) is an American cinematographer, known for his collaboration with director Jason Reitman. Early life Steelberg was born in 1977 in the Northridge suburb of Los Angeles. His father was a lawyer while his ...

serving as the cinematographer. On April 25, 2023, Hudson indicated that Aykroyd, Murray and Potts would reprise their roles from previous ''Ghostbusters'' movies in the film; Aykroyd confirmed he would return for the sequel in June 2023. Filming was spotted in

, where

Casey Neistat Casey Owen Neistat (; born March 25, 1981) is an American YouTube personality, filmmaker, vlogger and co-founder of the multimedia company Beme, which was later acquired by CNN. In 2018, he founded ''368'', a creative space for creators to ...

was caught filming a stunt scene in a video posted on June 7, 2023, while documenting the effects of the 2023 Canadian wildfires in New York City. Filming wrapped on June 23.

Music

On January 18, 2024,

was confirmed to compose the film's score, replacing ''Afterlife'' composer Rob Simonsen. This marked Marianelli's second collaboration with Kenan after '' A Boy Called Christmas'' (2021). He recorded his score on the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage in the John Williams Music Building on the

Sony Pictures Studios Sony Pictures Studios is an American television and film studio complex located in Culver City, California, at 10202 West Washington Boulevard and bounded by Culver Boulevard (south), Washington Boulevard (north), Overland Avenue (west) and ...

lot in Culver City. The original film's composer

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 orig ...

's son, Peter Bernstein, returned as score consultant, after doing so for ''Afterlife''. In addition to using some of the elder Bernstein's original scores on some of the film's scenes, the song "

", which was performed by

Ray Parker Jr. Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song for the 1984 film '' Ghostbusters'' and also sounds from the animated series '' The ...

, is heard during the film's end credits. Other songs "

Home on the Range "Home on the Range" ( Roud No. 3599) is an American folk song, sometimes called the "unofficial anthem" of the American West. Dr. Brewster M. Higley (also spelled Highley) of Smith County, Kansas, wrote the lyrics as the poem "My Western Hom ...

", arranged by Kenan and Reitman, "Melano" by Caino x Jun R.O.T., and "

Love Is Strange "Love Is Strange" is a crossover hit by American rhythm and blues duet Mickey & Sylvia, which was released in late November 1956 by the Groove record label. The song was based on a guitar riff by Jody Williams and was written by Bo Diddley u ...

" by

Mickey & Sylvia Mickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo composed of Mickey Baker and Sylvia Vanterpool, who later became Sylvia Robinson. They are best known for their number-one R&B single "Love Is Strange" in 1957. Baker and Vanterpool began recording tog ...

are used in the film. On March 7, 2024, Japanese

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

Atarashii Gakko! Atarashii Gakko!, known in Japan as , is a Japanese girl group formed in 2015. The group is jointly managed with Asobisystem, Twin Planet and TV Asahi Music. It made its Japanese debut in June 2017 under Victor Entertainment with the single "D ...

released a track called "Ghostbusters: Frozen Summer" as a collaboration with

Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan , abbreviated SPE or SPEJ, is a Japanese film studio, based in Minato, Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, with the majority of SPEJ's shares held by Sony Pictures Entertainmen ...

Release

Theatrical

''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' was scheduled to be released on December 20, 2023, but was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike and rescheduled for March 29, 2024 (taking over the original release date of

Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. (also referred to as Sony Animation Studios and abbreviated to SPA) is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and found ...

's '' Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse''). The film had its world premiere in

on March 14, 2024, and was released by

on March 22, 2024.

Home media

In April 2021, Sony signed deals with

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

for the rights to their 2022 to 2026 film slate, following the film's theatrical and home media windows. Netflix signed for exclusive "pay 1 window" streaming rights, which is typically an 18-month window, and included ''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' and past ''Ghostbusters'' films. Disney signed for "pay 2 windows" rights for the films, which would be streamed on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

and/or

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

as well as broadcast on Disney's linear television networks. ''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' was released digitally on May 7, 2024, and on 4K Blu-ray,

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

, and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on June 25, 2024.

Reception

Box office

''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' grossed $113.4 million in the United States and Canada and $88.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $202 million. In the United States and Canada, ''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' was released alongside '' Immaculate'' and ''

Late Night with the Devil ''Late Night with the Devil'' is a 2023 independent supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Colin and Cameron Cairnes. It stars David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina ...

'', and was projected to gross $43–45 million from 4,345 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $16 million on its first day, including $4.7 million from Thursday night previews, slightly topping ''Afterlife''s $4.5 million. It went on to debut at $45 million, landing between the opening weekends of ''

'' ($46 million in 2016) and ''Afterlife'' ($44 million in 2021), topping the box office, and pushing the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise past the $1 billion mark. ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...

'' credited Sony's marketing efforts for boosting the opening weekend, but suggested that the franchise would perform better if it returned to the original movie's focus on "wall-to-wall humor" and "big comedy stars." In its second weekend the film made $15.7 million (a drop of 65%), finishing second behind newcomer '' Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire''. ''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' finished in third place during its third weekend with $9 million (a drop of 42%).

Critical response

It is the lowest-rated installment in the franchise on the site. Audiences surveyed by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by

PostTrak PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios. History The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a fil ...

gave it an 80% overall positive score, with 64% saying they would recommend the film. Jake Wilson of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing: "Aykroyd and Grace are the soul of the thing, to whatever degree a soul exists. At this point, Aykroyd has shed any pretense of ironic distance, emerging as the mournful weirdo he surely always was."

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

's Brian Lowry called it "a very busy movie that lacks the emotional hook of its predecessor while spending too much time on the wrong characters in a way that yields a rather lifeless, chilly affair."

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'', where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television s ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' gave the film three out of four stars, writing that it "carries the same endearingly goofy, science-nerd spirit of the first film and delivers a delightful balance of slimy ghost stuff, sharp one-liners, terrific VFX and a steady stream of callbacks to various characters, human and otherwise, from the 1984 movie." Jake Coyle of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

gave it 2.5 out of 4 stars, saying that it was "A significant upgrade from ''Afterlife''" and "a breezier, more serviceable sequel that has a modest charm as an '80-tinged family adventure."

Accolades

Future

In February 2024, Kenan revealed that ideas for multiple future films in the ''Ghostbusters'' franchise had been discussed. Kenan specifically mentioned the Mini-Pufts storyline as something he and Reitman would like to expand upon. The Mini-Pufts are featured in the film's post-credits scene. In October 2024, Kenan confirmed that a sequel to ''Frozen Empire'' was being developed.

Notes

References

External links

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