HiT List: Is ‘Ghostbusters’ a Flop Already?
Sony movie chief Tom Rothman told The Hollywood Reporter he couldn’t be happier that the all-female “Ghostbusters” film inspired so much “hate.”
“It’s the greatest thing that ever happened. Are you kidding me? We’re in the national debate, thank you. Can we please get some more haters to say stupid things?”
The film, starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon, spawned the most loathed movie trailer in YouTube history. Journalists rushed to defend the project, blaming the intense backlash on the cast’s collective gender, not a deeply unfunny trailer or the wisdom behind rebooting the property in the first place.
“Ghostbusters” doesn’t hit theaters until July 15. An early tracking estimate shows the film in the $40 to $50 million opening weekend range.
RELATED: Is ‘Gender Card’ Only Hope for ‘Ghostbusters?’
For some perspective, here are some summer movie films based on existing properties and their opening weekend figures:
“Captain America: Civil War” – $179 million
“Finding Dory” – $135 million
“Jungle Book” – $103 million
“Minions” – $115 million
“Pitch Perfect 2” $69 million
The $40 million-plus range is fine for many movies. For a rejuvenated tentpole meant to spark toy sales and a new cinematic universe? That’s a flop.
After all, the new “Independence Day” sequel made $41 million over the weekend, and it’s being called a flop across the web. Here’s one sample headline from Forbes.com:
Box Office: ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ Bombs With Extinction-Level $41M Weekend
Could “Ghostbusters” defy early predictions? Sure. Yet why do the comments made by a THR reader dubbed NotSure2006 seem both prescient and wiser than a certain movie studio executive?
Take a franchise with an existing rabid fanbase then make a movie for an entirely different demographic and run a campaign to make sure to alienate the existing fanbase as much possible. Women over 25 is who this movie is for? Huh? That’s like remaking Amelie or Dirty Dancing for boys under 15. It’s just a baffling decision to me.
As for me. I’m gonna pass even though I love Kate McKinnon and Kristen Wiig. The trailer was terrible and the endless “you’re a misogynist if you didn’t like the trailer” articles and interviews were a real turn-off as well. It’s a bummer because this is the kind of movie that normally I would buy advance tickets for and invite a ton of friends to now I think it’s one I’m just going to Redbox.
Maybe Mr. Rothman should take a meeting with NotSure2006. He could learn a thing or two about marketing.
RELATED: Has ‘Ghostbusters’ Hate Crossed the Line?
In other entertainment news:
- They’re With Her: The weekend’s BET Awards telecast proved the most political show of its kind in some time. Shout outs to Black Lives Matter, Hillary Clinton and the expected Donald Trump slams interrupted the awards presentation.
- OK to Hate Now: Journalists and Social Justice Warriors slammed anyone who hated the first
“Ghostbusters” trailer as misogynists (or worse). Yet it’s suddenly OK to profess your hate for the rebooted “Ghostbusters” theme song. “So ghastly is Fall Out Boy’s new theme to “Ghostbusters” that if, after first listen, you vaporized it, pumped it into a tank, locked it in a safe and buried it under the Empire State Building, “Ghostbusters (I’m Not Afraid)” would still flatulently seep to the surface to torture millions,” whines The LA Times without ever calling itself “misogynistic.” - Cool Points Jackpot: Billy Joel surprises Billy Joel cover band in concert, joins the on-stage fun.
- Lenny Bruce Redux: Rapper 50 Cent arrested for cursing during a Caribbean island performance.
- Forced Nostalgia: Major industry pub celebrates 10th anniversary of so-so movie.
- Why Hart Rules: Kevin Hart slams incessant use of race card, says creating great art key to overturning Hollywood racism.
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Thanks, GOP Primary Voters!
People need to face facts it is a flop!
Well, it’s official: It’s DOA.
I saw a 2016 GB commercial the other day that hinted at how this could have worked. It started by saying something about a symbol for a generation, seeming to tie the new movie with the past, but AFAIK the only connection is the name. Instead, if they’d had an explicit connection it would have at least given the effort some default good-will. Maybe the GB business had been run down due to the drop in paranormal activity and was now owned/run by Winston’s daughter. She no longer believes those silly stories her dad used to tell her and runs it as almost a nostalgia t-shirt and kids parties factory. Three new researchers start getting a hint something paranormal is up based upon some unpublished work by Egon and Ray. They go the the old GB shop and try to convince WInston’s kid they need to join together, upgrade the tools, and open shop for real before the bad days come back. As it is, it’s a bad remake of something that didn’t need a remake solely for the purposes of “Grlll Pwr!”
This, this I would totally have gone to see. Would have made a much more compelling plot and wouldn’t have alienated their original fanbase, if anything it would have expanded it. Instead they just switched it out for a less loyal one that only supported as much as they did because “All men are whiney babies that can’t handle vaginas, herp, herp, derp!”
Rothman and Pascal are a cancer for these type of movies. They did the same to Fantastic Four and Spiderman. Needless reboots.
Redbox, but only if they give me a twofer coupon, else why bother.
If this gets on Netflix I might have it play in the background while do something more important, like homework. Just so I can sympathy bait for the trauma of having to watch it.
Independence Day
Been there done that
I was hoping for a sequel as kid. I still want to see it. It’s just a few decades late. But Ironically that also falls on Tom Rothman.
Well, IF it is funny I will see it. The trailer was not funny. Usually even a terrible comedy can muster a funny trailer, so…
OH God, yes, a lame rehash of the best jokes from the original or new material that just fell flat! Ugh!
I love that there are now movie campaigns based on trying to shame people into theaters to prove they’re progressive enough.
Asked, answered
Plus, when the dumbass directing this POS starts making up excuses BEFORE the damn thing even opens, how those who dare to consider his masterpiece less than that are all racist! or sexist! or stupid! Bitch, take notes: Your movie and concept SUCKED from the start. And pretending otherwise is not only retarded, but just flushing money.
Keep flushing
I wasn’t going anyways. And this turd will make Heaven’s Gate look like Casablanca
I like that no one ever comments on Hollywood’s explicit sexism in: Take existing story + add boobs = Story of female empowerment.
News for you Sony, et al. Women are more than just a couple of biological parts. And if you weren’t emasculated gamma-males you’d understand that.
Girls can’t seem to write their own cool stories, they just glom onto boy stories and say they own it. Rarely works. If girls can’t write cool stories, not sure that it’s Hollywood sexism.
I loved the Ghostbusters, and tolerated the horribad 2nd one but I will not spend a dime on this trash…nor will my wife. I guess that makes her a misogynist too?
just remember you are a misogynist if you don’t want women to be hookers and also if you DO want women to be hookers … go figure ????
I saw ‘Central Intelligence’ and liked it a lot. Same concept as a lot of other movies, but as a light hearted comedy it worked and there was pretty good chemistry between the leads. Maybe it’s because I had such low expectations for the movie it didn’t have to be all that good. Which is the problem with a re-boot of GB, the expectations are a whole lot higher, a much higher bar to clear.
On the one hand, I’m a dude who thinks gender flipping in remakes can be a cool thing when done right, and that includes a property like Ghostbusters. On the other hand, this movie looks absolutely terrible. Sorry, Social Justice Warriors, can’t help ya on this one…
haven’t set foot in a theater in 30 years and no plans to . .hollywood hates middle America and I hate hollywood
Question: Where will Sony chief Tim Rothman be at this time next year?
Answer: In the witness protection program.
He’s known for this stuff. His track record ranges from sewing Deadpools mouth shut to turning Galactus into a cloud. He rebooted Fantastic Four and chose the director. That tanked. He and Pascal were part of the Spiderman Reboot to Amazing Spiderman that tanked. He and Amy Pascal are both cancers of the movie industry.
Said it before, and I’ll say it again. I couldn’t care less about the gender of the new Ghostbusters. I only care that they are funny, likeable and reflect the relatable Underdog spirit of the original characters. It would appear that on those counts, the remake is an epic fail, in addition to being simply lame based on that God-awful trailer. It would take some serious damage control on the filmmakers’ part to make me want to see it at this point, and surprisingly, calling me a bigot isn’t doing it.
How can you possibly be unaware that it is a sexist feminist propaganda piece?
Because it isn’t a secret that Bill Murray was under the legal thumb thanks to the email leaks. And controversy to sell movies is Tom Rothman’s style. He tried the same with Fantastic Four’s bad reboot saying people are racist if they didn’t like it. In reality it was a bad movie.