The highly anticipated fifth installment in the Ghostbusters franchise, ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,’ is set to hit theaters this weekend, and all signs point to a strong opening. The $100 million sequel to 2021’s ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ is projected to rake in around $45 million in its debut, which would push the franchise’s total box office earnings past the $1 billion milestone.
Directed by Gil Kenan, who co-wrote ‘Afterlife’ with Jason Reitman, ‘Frozen Empire’ brings back the beloved original cast members Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, alongside the new generation of Ghostbusters introduced in the previous film. The plot revolves around the discovery of an ancient artifact that unleashes an evil force, threatening to plunge the world into a second ice age. The old and new Ghostbusters must join forces to save the day.
‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ was a successful reboot of the franchise, earning $204.3 million worldwide and receiving praise from fans and critics alike. The film, which was a throwback to the warm and fuzzy Spielberg-esque kid sci-fi and fantasy movies of the 1980s, scored an A- CinemaScore and a 64% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Frozen Empire’ is expected to follow in its predecessor’s footsteps, with strong interest from both older male fans and families with teens and older kids. The film will be playing in 4,300 theaters, including all PLFs and a majority of IMAX screens, with previews starting at 2 PM on Thursday in roughly 3,600 locations.
Internationally, ‘Frozen Empire’ is opening in 25 markets this weekend, representing about 55% of the international market. The top markets include the UK, Mexico, Australia, Spain, and Germany.
As the Ghostbusters franchise has always been a domestic-driven property, with ‘Afterlife’ making 67% of its global box office in the U.S. and Canada, all eyes will be on the North American box office this weekend. If ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ can meet or exceed expectations, it will cement the franchise’s place in the billion-dollar club and pave the way for more supernatural adventures in the future.
