Hollywood loves its reboots, remakes, and unwarranted sequels these days. One of the biggest set to arrive this year looks to be Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Combining the new cast of Ghostbusters: Afterlife – which was released in 2021 – the actors from the original 1984 movie, and some iconic locations, the new release might just top the box office when it arrives.
Ramping up anticipation for the fourth installment of the story, Sony Pictures has released a new trailer and moved forward the release date for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Now, fans of the sci-fi comedy flicks will get to see the film one week earlier, on March 22, 2024, rather than March 29. Based on the standing legacy and the information pumped out, it’s easy to see why Sony is getting excited about Frozen Empire’s release.
Building on an impressive legacy
Coming out at a time when Spider-Man: No Way Home and West Side Story were dominating at the box office, after 2016’s flop Ghostbusters reboot, there wasn’t any guarantee that Ghostbusters: Afterlife would be a success. In the end, a promise of a film set in the same storyline as the original two from the 80s proved to be just about enough. While the 2021 release did earn $26 million less than the 2016 movie worldwide, it was done on less than half of the budget.
Of course, Afterlife is only the most recent entry as opposed to the one that created the enduring legacy. So many films have been created with the classic 1984 as inspiration. At the time, the marketing, setting, mix of genres, and CGI made a profound impact on audiences and moviemakers. The Watch, Men in Black, Pixels, Evolution, and especially Casper rank among the most obvious film and TV creations to utilize aspects of the trailblazing Ghostbusters movie.
Ghostbusters didn’t just inspire movies, though. Creator of Super Mario Bros Shigeru Miyamoto says that Luigi’s Mansion was directly inspired by Dan the Aykroyd film, and the gameplay showcases as much. On top of this, there’s also a much more recent Ghostbuster slot game that’s available on BetOnRed, a platform with a top-rated no deposit bonus. This type of bonus can be used to spin the reels of the slot without making a deposit. So, anyone who signs up can try to catch the four creepy ghosts in the bonus feature without charge.
As much as Ghostbusters has inspired whole droves of entertainment media, it’s said that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has looked back to take inspiration from The Real Ghostbusters. The 1980s animated show was apparently utilized during the writing of the upcoming movie to bring in “wild, original, and [weird] villains,” both keeping with what’s been established in the series as well as bringing something new to the big-screen experience.
Bringing back everything from the 1980s
In the newest trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, it’s been made very apparent that much of what was loved in the first films will be coming back. We knew that the surviving cast from the 1984 film would feature, which brings back Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, and Annie Potts, but the January 29 official trailer – which earned over 24 million views in a week on YouTube – really leans into them as being integral to the movie.
The November 8, 2023, teaser trailer that lasts over two minutes had Aykroyd’s reading in the background and quickly flicked to the original heroes. That trailer received a mere 2.4 million views. Now we see them back in their original gear and going after a bunch of the new ghosts.
Plus, they’re back to roaming around and protecting New York while being based at the classic headquarters. It looks to be a good use of nostalgia while also serving the new story well. That should sound fairly standard, but it’s surprising how often modern films fall into using nostalgia as bait or to tick a box as opposed to being in service of a good story.
With all of these pieces coming together, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has a great chance to make it big at the box office this year and see a better return than the other modern installments.