Could it get any worse?
[dropcap size=small]F[/dropcap]rom the initial negative reaction of the trailer, mixed reviews from critics and fans alike, Leslie Jones’ twitter incident, and rumours of Paul Feig’s space aliens – there has been very little positive media attention surrounding the film. A few weeks after the initial release of the all-female reboot and things could not get any worse. It seems Sony will be taking major losses, any sequel is unlikely to happen, and the purposed ‘Ghostbusters Universe’ looks certain to not happen.
Director Paul Feig has not made any public statements about returning for a sequel. The reboot star’s Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, are reportedly contracted for two potential sequels. However, this no longer matters. Even though the film hasn’t been bashed like other summer blockbusters, it performed poorly at the box office. Rumours are that Sony would need the film to reach $300 million globally just to break even.
As of August 7th, the domestic gross of the film was under $120 million while adding the global box office receipts only equated to roughly $180 million. With a budget of $144 million (plus marketing), Sony has said the film would need to reach $300 million globally to break-even.
Ghostbusters is yet to open in some markets, like France and Japan, yet box office experts doubt the gross global revenue reaches $225. Meaning the studio faces losses of $70 million plus, or possibly more. The Ghostbusters reboot also lost out on China’s market when their strict censorship board because the film promoted “cults or superstition.” The ruling definitely ate into the movie’s earning potential.
A rough summer for Hollywood studios is now coming to a close. Hopefully, the failure of the Ghostbusters reboot will lead to more studios investing in original summer blockbusters in the coming years.
