Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

[Wildcat2000]

The fact GB4 has been officially announced proves Afterlife was successful enough.

I know the cast not be announced but we know McKenna Grace is returning so the Spenglers will and Logan Kim has mentioned waiting for a script. Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson are basically confirmed. Paul Rudd is still questionable.

The point is only haters argue Afterlife was unsuccessful. Ya, ya...personal opinion. Fine but don’t troll by claiming it was some kind of failure. To make these arguments when a sequel is officially greenlit is just ridiculous. It’s being written or whatever stage it’s in right now.

I don’t care if Top Gun or Spider-Man made more. They made more than a lot of movies.

[GuruAskew]

Lots of sequels have been produced based on disappointing failures. It’s becoming more and more common now as these companies chase their own Marvel-style mega-franchises. You wouldn’t point to the existence of Justice League as proof that Batman v Superman wasn’t a failure. It’s the fallacy of sunk costs in action. Maybe the next one will be better, am I right?

[raptors661]

Why is Afterlife being compared to Top Gun Maverek's box office? Afterlife opened when theaters were still kind of a thing people were mixed on going to. Top Gun also didn't have the stink of a lousy reboot a few years ago. Like it or not, GB2016 had an absolute toxic reception on the internet. I know plenty of people who still haven't watched it because the word of mouth was so bad. Afterlife had to regain the public's trust. Sony also has a bad track record of over estimating how much money their movies are going to make box office wise. Spiderman No Way Home was the first major movie to bring audiences back in a big way. Had this come out afterwards, maybe it would have made a little more. But I think this was successful enough. I know it did really well on bluray and digital.

[RossyG]

Afterlife didn’t even make the top twenty of films released that year. Oops, guess I’m a hater for noticing that.

It made less money theatrically than than that year’s Conjuring sequel and Cruella, both of which got simultaneous streaming releases, but I guess I’m a troll for saying this.

[DrWally]

Originally Posted by raptors661

Why is Afterlife being compared to Top Gun Maverek's box office? Afterlife opened when theaters were still kind of a thing people were mixed on going to. Top Gun also didn't have the stink of a lousy reboot a few years ago. Like it or not, GB2016 had an absolute toxic reception on the internet. I know plenty of people who still haven't watched it because the word of mouth was so bad. Afterlife had to regain the public's trust. Sony also has a bad track record of over estimating how much money their movies are going to make box office wise. Spiderman No Way Home was the first major movie to bring audiences back in a big way. Had this come out afterwards, maybe it would have made a little more. But I think this was successful enough. I know it did really well on bluray and digital.

Yup. I love Top Gun Maverick, it's brilliant, but this whole narrative perception around it needs to stop. People should stop treating Top Gun Maverick as if its the yardstick and barometer for what each and every continuing franchise can and should reach, and see it for the lightning-strike freak outlier that it actually is.

[Wildcat2000]

To be honest I’m surprised they expected a $650 million box office.

That’s a really high bar to set for a sequel that took like 30 years to get. I’m sure it would have made more in 2020 without the pandemic but that seems like an oddly high number to set right from the start. I know Ghostbusters is a very popular franchise but I don’t understand why specifically that range.

Anyway it’s funny how people disregard home/digital sales. I’ve already had a conversation about it with someone on a GB board so nobody needs to explain why they don’t count towards a movie’s earnings...even though they do.

I would not be surprised if Guruaskew is the same person I discussed it with. They’re using the same arguments to tell everyone why the movie was terrible and bombed apparently

Afterlife was well received, praised by most and is getting a direct follow up so it succeeded it what it was trying to do. Continue the original line with new characters. I’m sure it made some profit.

[BluBonnet]

Afterlife didn’t even make the top twenty of films released that year.
It made less money theatrically than than that year’s Conjuring sequel and Cruella

GA: $204m WW
Conjuring 2021: $206m WW
Cruella: $233m WW.

Those 3 pictures were all in the same ballpark box-office wise. And once you eliminate all the non-English movies of 2021 (since they all made most of their money in their country of origin rather than appeal to audiences worldwide), all 3 movies made the top 20 worldwide releases of 2021.

From Sony's perspective, Ghostbusters is simply one of their most reliable IPs after the Spidey thing. Other than Spidey and Ghostbusters, the only other somewhat reliable franchise they have is Peter Rabbit.

It only makes sense they would want to keep all of these franchises going for as long as they can until they can get some new franchise up and running.

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by RossyG

Afterlife didn’t even make the top twenty of films released that year. Oops, guess I’m a hater for noticing that.

It made less money theatrically than than that year’s Conjuring sequel and Cruella, both of which got simultaneous streaming releases, but I guess I’m a troll for saying this.

It was the 9th highest grossing film in North America. It made more than Dune, Godzilla vs. Kong, Jungle Cruise, Conjuring, and Cruella. It did just fine. It's getting a sequel. Why is this even a discussion?

[Britbuffguy]

Originally Posted by RossyG

Afterlife didn’t even make the top twenty of films released that year. Oops, guess I’m a hater for noticing that.

It made less money theatrically than than that year’s Conjuring sequel and Cruella, both of which got simultaneous streaming releases, but I guess I’m a troll for saying this.

Domestically, you're wrong.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/2...=bo_yl_table_2

I guess you have to go by Worldwide grosses to make your point, but then you oddly ignore the fact that FIVE movies in front of it were movies that no one ever heard of in America, so just shows you can't rely on ONLY worldwide total.

It still topped SUICIDE SQUAD in either chart and so many claimed that was a big hit for DC.

[GuruAskew]

If you remove all of the non-Ghostbusters movies from the list you’ll find that Afterlife was the #1 movie of 2021. Checkmate haters.

In all seriousness, removing foreign films from the list is some pretty wild cope when Afterlife was made by a Japanese conglomerate haha

[CreasyBear]

Ghostbusters has always been inherently more popular in North America than the rest of the world, to begin with. Sony was relying on the NA grosses and like I said, it beat out a lot of other movies that were just as, if not more, anticipated than Ghostbusters...and it's getting a sequel.

[GuruAskew]

Oh boy, the old “Ghostbusters is only popular in the US” thing.

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by GuruAskew

Oh boy, the old “Ghostbusters is only popular in the US” thing.

Otherwise known as...facts.

Ghostbusters:
DOMESTIC (82.1%)
$243,578,797
INTERNATIONAL (17.9%)
$53,000,000
WORLDWIDE
$296,578,797

Ghostbusters II:
DOMESTIC (52.2%)
$112,494,738
INTERNATIONAL (47.8%)
$102,900,000
WORLDWIDE
$215,394,738

Ghostbusters 2016:
DOMESTIC (56%)
$128,350,574
INTERNATIONAL (44%)
$100,796,935
WORLDWIDE
$229,147,509

Afterlife:
DOMESTIC (63.3%)
$129,360,575
INTERNATIONAL (36.7%)
$74,973,880
WORLDWIDE
$204,334,455

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by GuruAskew

Oh boy, the old “Ghostbusters is only popular in the US” thing.

I was going to ask if that was going to be based on box office returns. I would think merchandise would be the way to judge Ghostbusters. It is not Star Wars where a marketing budget could have been done for specific territories.

[GuruAskew]

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

Otherwise known as...facts.

Ghostbusters:
DOMESTIC (82.1%)
$243,578,797
INTERNATIONAL (17.9%)
$53,000,000
WORLDWIDE
$296,578,797

Ghostbusters II:
DOMESTIC (52.2%)
$112,494,738
INTERNATIONAL (47.8%)
$102,900,000
WORLDWIDE
$215,394,738

Ghostbusters 2016:
DOMESTIC (56%)
$128,350,574
INTERNATIONAL (44%)
$100,796,935
WORLDWIDE
$229,147,509

Afterlife:
DOMESTIC (63.3%)
$129,360,575
INTERNATIONAL (36.7%)
$74,973,880
WORLDWIDE
$204,334,455

These numbers don’t tell the story you want them to.

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by GuruAskew

These numbers don’t tell the story you want them to.

Really, because if you look at those things we like to call numbers, they overwhelming show that Ghostbusters films make the majority of their money from North America.

[northjersey]

Originally Posted by GuruAskew

These numbers don’t tell the story you want them to.

___ <insert movie here> ___ was a failure because it didn't make the box office draws that TG:Maverick did

I mean, any movie ever made, can probably fill in the blank, if you go by the postings here

[CreasyBear]

65% of the total worldwide box office for the franchise has come from North America. So you know...facts.

[DrWally]

Ghostbusters Afterlife U.S. release date : 19 th November
Ghostbusters Afterlife U.K release date : 18th November
Ghostbusters Afterlife Brazil relapse date : 18th November
Ghostbusters Afterlife Germany release date : 18th November
Ghostbusters Afterlife Italy release date : 18th November
Ghstbusters Afterlife France release date : 1st December
Ghostbusters Afterlife Spain release date : 28th November
Ghostbusters Afterlife Korea release date : 1st December

WHO officially declares Omicron variant to be 'Variant of Concern' and urges international community to reimplement social distancing protocols : 26th November.

[RossyG]

I can only speak for the UK, but I saw it theatrically here without a mask. Life carried on. Everyone was vaccinated and the cinemas were full before for No Time To Die (which I genuinely do hate unlike Afterlife) and were afterwards for Now Way Home.

As for why we're discussing it: because I've always thought that Ghostbusters was a brilliant one-off lightning in a bottle film and doesn't have franchise potential.