Whilst a sequel to the 2016 Ghostbusters may seem unlikely due to the widely reported $70m loss, plans for the Ghostbusters universe as a whole are still going ahead Sony have revealed.
A Sony representative recently offered a statement to the movie news magazine The Hollywood Reporter, where he claimed ‘We’re very proud of the bold movie Paul Feig made, which critics and audiences loved. It has enlivened a 30-year-old brand and put it into the modern zeitgeist. As a result, we have many ideas in the works to further exploit the Ghostbusters universe,’.
Ghostbusters cartoon Ecto-Force is set to debut on television in 2018 with an animated feature film following in 2019, although whether Sony have other plans in place is unclear. It’s worth noting that former Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman’s production company Ghost Corps was set up with the intention of finding ways to expand the Ghostbusters universe, so Sony are clearly dedicated towards making it their flagship franchise.
Ghostbusters has currently earned nearly $181 million globally, against some strong competition such as Suicide Squad and The Sexeet Life of Pets/. Paul Feig stated before Ghostbusters’ release that the film would have to make $300m to break even.
Whilst the female Ghostbusters may have failed to bust Harley Quinn and company at the box office, they have at least managed to ressurect a dormant franchise. Let’s hope Sony don’t have a Walter Peck equivalent trying to shut the business down.
I have to disagree with the Sonly representative that Ghostbusters was some long forgotten franchise because it’s not. There were (are) millions of Ghostbusters fan who grew up with the old movies and both cartoons that really wanted to see a passing of the torch movie and not a remake.
Ghostbusters was already here, but Paul Feig decided it needed to be changed because of his own personal self-loathing. If anything a proper sequel is now, more than ever just what the franchise needs. It wasn’t hurting, it wasn’t forgotten, but Paul Feig came and did damage to a franchise that could have still easily made money via merchandise, and now Ghostbuster toys are on clearance.
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