[GuyX]

In the future people won’t believe they spent over 300 million dollars on that movie. God that’s horrific. Like…how do u even release that to the public? & it’s an awful scene.

That movie is proof positive that no one knows anything. You bring in Joss Whedon, hot shot writer/director who helped make the MCU what it is, do 80 days of reshoots, and when the original director releases his cut it turns out to be one of the better comic book movies ever made, gets far superior reviews & gets fans excited for the Snyder version of DC. But do they bring him back? Nope. Because ego.

1 of the sad things about Ivan Reitman passing away was I think no one understands this franchise better than him. Everytime I’ve heard him talk about the movie he gets exactly what’s great about it. And all the stuff Jason said Ivan helped him on are the sort of small details that are so much of what makes GB cool.

I LOVED Afterlife but what I really loved about it was the father/son team working behind the scenes. How beautiful was that? And I know Ivan dropped out after Harold passed away but gosh I wanted to see Ivan Reitman direct another Ghostbusters movie. Reading those hacked Sony emails was hard.

Do we know if the plan was always for Gil to direct part 4? Cause I do wonder, if Jason didn’t direct it, wouldn’t it have been neat to have Ivan step in? His son directs one, he directs the other. I don’t know if Ivan was sick but I did notice when doing the press for the movie he seemed super emotional.

One thing I love about Afterlife is the tone. It’s played straight. I know some wanted more comedy but I loved it as is. But with a new director coming in it does make me nervous about what sort of tone we get. Jason is very character driven. He’s not so much concerned with the spectacle. I hope Gil can keep that tone similar & not go silly with it. That’s why Answer the Call didn’t work for me. I couldn’t stand the “TRYING SO HARD TO BE FUNNY” tone.

With this being a Xmas release I wonder if Christmas will be part of the plot in some way? Like how GB2 is a New Years movie.

[timeware]

I bought that millennium Falcon excited as hell for it & it’s literally still in the shrink rapping. I haven’t even opened it. It’s like I’m terrified of the enormity of it. The picture on the box sure does look nice tho.

Hopefully you have all the pieces. I started the Ecto one kit around December, Januarary. It's been a fun build but very frustrating. Every time I get to making progress or a dent into that thing I get a snag. The gunner chair bag had double pieces and not the right ones I needed to complete it.
Then the red fins on the car only gave me two of the four pins to connect the pieces. When it comes to replacement parts they take a very long time to get them out. I have the worst luck of finding kits with missing pieces, pieces that I need that aren't the right color, or double pieces. Love Lego but I hate this downside to it.

[deadderek]

So anyone wanna talk box office?

I think this movie will pull in more than Afterlife did. With having been pushed back 4 or so times due to Covid, etc, I feel Afterlife didn't do as well as it could have. This new movie I think has a good chance at a much better box office.

[RichardLess]

So anyone wanna talk box office?

I think this movie will pull in more than Afterlife did. With having been pushed back 4 or so times due to Covid, etc, I feel Afterlife didn't do as well as it could have. This new movie I think has a good chance at a much better box office.

Man. It all depends. Right now it’s impossible to judge but if it doesn’t do better than Afterlife? We are in trouble.

Luckily December is primo real estate. If the movie is good and gives people a good feeling? Christmas time can be a money machine. Jumanji and Aquaman aren’t the hits they are at any other time of year.

I don’t think the pushback of GBA did much of anything. It certainly didn’t affect Top Gun, Spider-Man or Avatar.

But with GB4? So much depends on marketing. What’s the movie look like? How is it advertised? Are the OG characters front & Center or do they hide them like last time(a stupid mistake that cost the movie).

Also…with such a short schedule part of me wonders if they didn’t increase the budg. More money=more bodies and more bodies can deliver more work more quickly.

If they are smart? They will make this movie a holiday centric movie. Everyone gathers round the firehouse for the holiday season… chaos ensues. With a Christmas release date? Oh man. $$$$.

[mrmichaelt]

So anyone wanna talk box office?

I think this movie will pull in more than Afterlife did. With having been pushed back 4 or so times due to Covid, etc, I feel Afterlife didn't do as well as it could have. This new movie I think has a good chance at a much better box office.

I agree this movie will do better since it won't be hampered by the pandemic and looking at how audiences reacted to the Shazam sequel this week, this movie might have a shot against the Aquaman sequel in December. The only other 2 movies I know coming out around the same time is the Wonka and The Color Purple. So it does have 3 competitors. But with the right marketing push and a great trailer, I think it can take them. I'm optimistic about box office.

[Alphagaia]

I don't really understand why Covid was a factor last time since Spiderman brought people back into the seats in a huge way during the same time?

I believe we get about the same in BO as the last two movies.
Its a sequel, which means less people will watch it, but it has kids, so more parents might return since they and their kids had a good time the last time, if those kids survived the first hour of the movie. To us, it was a great movie with callbacks a plenty, but let's not forget the audience needs to find something to like as well.

I think the movie can, it has the potential to go beyond my somewhat sceptical expectations. I mean, Christmas time is right there and that will certainly help.

It's going to depend on the vibe the movie will show, and it has a tough act to follow if it want to hook more people than last time.

[mrmichaelt]

I don't really understand why Covid was a factor last time since Spiderman brought people back into the seats in a huge way during the same time?

The # of times and the time span. Afterlife got delayed 5 times over the course of 2 years 2020-2021. No Way Home only 3 times but all within the year 2021. I'd also argue December 2021 was way different an environment than even November 2021 in terms of Covid and whether people were willing to go out. Encanto and Eternals's opening weekend performances in November was proof of that, imo. None of that is a factor now since we're past the pandemic and are in the endemic phase and people are pretty much resuming normal activities like going to theaters. Add that to the 2nd Wonka reboot and a reboot of a classic movie The Color Purple that audiences might be on the fence about,and the looming reboot of the DC movie canon has seemingly soured audiences on the remaining movies in the old canon, the Afterlife sequel has a really great shot. I agree the big factor is the marketing.

[Alphagaia]

Yeah, some good points. I feel we ultimately don't know enough to make much of a prediction, but it's fun to predict. Really interested what the first trailer will show and how the general public will respond to it!

[zeta otaku]

What do we think of a total redesign of the proton pack? Something like Extreme Ghostbusters?

But we do need some new tech. The gunner seat was amazing. Same with the Remote Control trap.

TOTALLY butchering your post RichardLess, apologies, but I just wanna focus on these two points.

You mentioned the Zootfly gear and... man did I hate those designs. It just felt very... gigantic guns for the sake of more edge lord COD player aesthetic. The ATC gear isn't my favorite design, but I REALLY appreciate seeing how the tech evolved through the movie. That's what I want to see in Hell's Kitchen: an evolution of the 80s tech... which, realistically, was more like 70s tech since I doubt Egon was buying top of the line components while they were on a budget (they were basically flat broke right before the Sedgewick bust, remember). The proton packs and traps basically remained the same in 1989 and the New York trio's gear looked unchanged in 2021 in Summerville.

So, now that Winston is dead set on re-opening Ghostbusters, I'm sure they'll be using the old gear INITIALLY and hopefully we see it evolve a bit by the end of the movie. Streamline a few things, reduce the size of the packs (or not), different doodads and shapes on the pack and thrower, a new style PKE meter and hopefully some new tech all together (I need new toys to build!).

What I DON'T want? A PKE cellphone app... that's just... stupid. I also don't want to see a full powered pack and thrower reduced to something the size of like... a clunky water gun. A lower powered, smaller piece of proton tech designed for safer indoor usage like the mini pack introduced in Tainted Love? YES! Absolutely. Just don't make it an proton gun that can not just destroy a ghost, but erase it from history so it never existed at all or something equally as absurd.

[timeware]

It wouldn't surprise me if they go the app route. Current Cell Phones do have the ability to act as a fully functioning EMF detector in real life. As The Atlantic Paranormal Society put out an app years ago I could really see Winston develop a Ghostbusting app to bring in revenue. I would love to see Sony develop an actual Ghosthunting app to help promote the movie.
But yeah I would love to see the gear evolve into a final product towards the end of the movie.

[Alphagaia]

I somehow hope and despair the idea they might wanna go Ecto-2.

[timeware]

It's time. Unless Winston does a complete overhaul or coversion to Ecto 1-A he won't be to keen on using the vehicle for busts.New team, new car. Makes sense. I don't think they'll destroy Ecto though.

[Alphagaia]

Ghostbusters: they fly now.

[BatDan]

The only way to top that awesome Muncher sequence is to do something totally different. By that i mean taking it into the air above NYC.

An Ecto-2 test flight after a ghost leaks from the ECU.

Winston and Ray notice its missing. Hijinks ensue

A man can dream.

[Alphagaia]

Well, they can do more damage that way.

[RichardLess]

I don't really understand why Covid was a factor last time since Spiderman brought people back into the seats in a huge way during the same time?

The # of times and the time span. Afterlife got delayed 5 times over the course of 2 years 2020-2021. No Way Home only 3 times but all within the year 2021. I'd also argue December 2021 was way different an environment than even November 2021 in terms of Covid and whether people were willing to go out. Encanto and Eternals's opening weekend performances in November was proof of that, imo. None of that is a factor now since we're past the pandemic and are in the endemic phase and people are pretty much resuming normal activities like going to theaters. Add that to the 2nd Wonka reboot and a reboot of a classic movie The Color Purple that audiences might be on the fence about,and the looming reboot of the DC movie canon has seemingly soured audiences on the remaining movies in the old canon, the Afterlife sequel has a really great shot. I agree the big factor is the marketing.

We have to remember that most people aren’t us. The movie changing release dates numerous times would have a negligible affect on the box office. Most people aren’t hardcore like us. They know generally there’s a Ghostbusters movie coming out at some point in the future but until marketing starts hammering home the date, they don’t have a firm idea. If a movie getting delayed affected Box Office Avatar 2 would’ve been the first movie in history to make negative 1 billions dollars. That movie was delayed like 8 million times. Most people don’t really know or care about that stuff. It’s inside baseball + let’s say they did. What’s that line of thinking? “This movies been delayed too many times so I won’t see it”? I could see fans having that perspective out of some kind of annoyance factor but not the regular audience.

James Bond came out before GBA and it wasn’t even a movie audiences really liked, but it still did very good business. 160 million? 780 worldwide? It’s comparable to Spectre.

COVID is still keeping people away from the theatres. BUT the thing is…if they want to see something bad enough, they’ll come. Did anybody think Top Gun 2 was making 1.4 billion dollars? No. Even Spider-Man’s success was surprising(the level of it). So I do think there’s a version of GBA released on that same date that makes a lot more money. But that’s not the movie they made. Top Gun 2 shows that audiences will reward you if you treat the characters they love with respect. Hell I think COVID, in Top Gun 2’s case, INCREASED the movies box office. Same with Spider-Man. People were hungry for the familiar. The good time. More than ever.

Yes Eternals didn’t set the world on fire but look at how long it was and the reviews. Shang Chi was released prior to that and did very well domestic. There’s also the Disney+ factor where they had a short theatrical window and it was well known they’d end up on D+ soon. The kids movie were really hurt by D+. They still are.

So I think we are letting GBA off a little too easily. What it earned was respectable. But it’s hard not to be disappointed. the budget was down which was good but it didn’t raise the ceiling either. It’s the lowest grossing GB movie worldwide. Generally speaking you want to see growth over time and, COVID or not, it’s not happening. Spider-Man out grossed all other Spider-Man movies. There’s no reason GBA couldn’t have outgrossed, not adjusted for inflation, the worldwide total of the other movies. Instead it did far worse.

That’s why this next movie is so important. If it doesn’t grow the box office? Forget the budget. Just pure growth over time. It’ll be a dark time for awhile perhaps. So let’s hope for the best.

[BatDan]

Im not worried. If it doesnt do as good and we head into a dark time again?

Im okay with that. We had a really good resurgence we never thought possible 15 years ago. 2 video games with legacy actors doing voice. A great comic series. 1 remake and 2 sequels. A slew of new merch and toys. We did pretty good. We have enough to hold us over for the new dark times.



..however, we have a fresh slate. Winston and Ray are mentioned in the main plot synopsis. Hopefully they get some poster and promo love this time around, that'll spark some interest

[Alphagaia]

I'm curious how they will keep the new designs in the same 'cobbled together' style. Like others already said, time and progress moved on and Winston hit it big.
GBA had the easy out with it being old designs that Egon had to buy on the cheap from a local store, but this time, they may have the millions of Winston backing them.

Unless he says it needs to pass some tests before he accepts a sleaker version or something.

Perhaps it even creates a split between old school (Ray) and new school busters (Winston's)

[BatDan]

Or they can make a joke out of not being able to condense Egons inventions into more refined models and thusly remaining the same.

Winston “hows those new packs comin fellas?”

Team “really good! Take a look!”

Winston “uh. They look like the old ones”

Team “well ya see Mr Z..Spenglers blueprints are very peculiar. The caliberator of the cyclotron can only be minimized to a..

Winston “—okay..i get it. Carry on”

Im all for new gadgets, but the “rugged low tech-ness” of the equipment is a piece of Harolds input into the world that should continue on.

[zeta otaku]

Yeah.... we're not gonna get Ecto-2 like in RGB... aside for VERY few acceptations, helicopters follow the rivers around NYC unless they want to be escorted by military aircraft or emergency rooftop landings (I was in a building when a small helicopter made a crash landing on the roof... terrifying). You thought the EPA was a thorn in their side in 84? They'd have the FAA, military, and several other federal and local authorities breathing down their necks if they were operating an unlicensed prototype aircraft inside NYC airspace. Unless you're a news chopper or have authority to, you're not going to see a helicopter over any buildings in the city. Even the planes leaving La Guardia and Kennedy airports have landing and take offs that avoid as much of the city airspace as possible.

Not trying to yuck anyone's yum, but even with backpacks that shoot radiation lasers, ghosts, gods, and kaiju, the world of Ghostbusters is still pretty grounded to be like ours.

And before anyone asks "zeta, how could you possibly know all this? What expertise do you have?!" I live right next to NYC (Jersey side, a block from the George Washington Bridge). I overlook the Hudson and have a clear line of sight down to Manhattan. I hear and see every helicopter and osprey that flies by and in my 5 years of living here, only ONCE have I seen a small helicopter bank over and fly over residential buildings and that was to get to the air port to get out of the way of a particularly bad storm that was coming up from the South.

[Alphagaia]

So you're saying the guys with the unlicensed nuclear accelerators are going to follow the rules when it comes to flying helicopters?

[Bison256]

So you're saying the guys with the unlicensed nuclear accelerators are going to follow the rules when it comes to flying helicopters?

It was questionable in the 80s in the RGB, post 9/11 not a chance.

[Alphagaia]

Yeah, that definitely puts a wrench in that whole idea.

[deadderek]

Zeta, you gonna go to the NYC premiere? (Assuming they do it again)?

[Davideverona]

So, we're mere hours away from the start of principal production. How are you all feeling?

[deadderek]

So, we're mere hours away from the start of principal production. How are you all feeling?

Pumped!

[BatDan]

So you're saying the guys with the unlicensed nuclear accelerators are going to follow the rules when it comes to flying helicopters?

It was questionable in the 80s in the RGB, post 9/11 not a chance.

Man, Good thing the Ghostbusters live in a fictional NYC..

Looks like theyll be a-okay with doing anything “illegal” unless Jason and Gil write in their consequences

[Hairy Biker]

I think the film will do really well box office wise.
Three films mentioned: Wonka, Colour Purple and Aquaman.

I had no idea they remade Colour Purple, but I feel that caters to a certain crowd. Its not a popcorn flick. Its not something you can take your kids too. It could be a contender, but it is a remake and I don't think those do too well.

Aquaman, well I think Ghostbusters will do better than this. I feel theres a bit of comic book film fatigue going on lately. Even I'm feeling it. Plus theres the shake up at DC with them clearing the slate and starting again and of course Amber Herd being in it will affect its performance.

Wonka will be the real contender that Ghostbusters will go up against. Its a retelling of a beloved story. Its star is a bit of a IT kid at the moment. It's probably going to do much better than Ghostbusters for sure.


I think GBAs box office was affected by two things mainly. Covid and the 2016 remake. Alot of people i knew not in the know assumed it was a follow up to the remake and just had no interest until I informed them it was a sequel to the original films with the original surviving cast returning. And yeah I think hiding the original cast in the trailers probably didn't help but I get wanting to put the new cast front and centre but now we dont have to worry.
People will know this is the 4th film in the franchise.

I think this will do much better than GBA but I think Wonka may top it.

[BatDan]

I think we might have a shot. Ive heard/seen almost little to no buzz surrounding Wonka.

Wonka is just another reboot to a classic film. Weve already had a Johnny Depp version in the 00s. But yeah the “it kid” as you put might win over the teeny bopper audience, but their boyfriends are gonna wanna see Aquaman or GB the next weekend.

GB is an established franchise. And i think since they put Winston and Ray at the forefront of the official plot, itll seal the sequel/continuation deal on general movie goers.

[timeware]

Weve already had a Johnny Depp version in the 00s. But yeah the “it kid” as you put might win over the teeny bopper audience, but their boyfriends are gonna wanna see Aquaman or GB the next weekend.

Is Amber still playing Aquaman's wife or is she out of her Deppth?