“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” dominated the domestic box office and topped expectations.
The latest episode of the supernatural comedy series grossed $45.2 million in its debut in 4,345 North American theaters. Those ticket sales are slightly ahead of its 2021 predecessor, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which grossed $44 million early on while the box office was deep in pandemic recovery mode. It’s an indication that the 30-year-old franchise hasn’t expanded its constituency beyond the ghost-busting enterprise’s unique (and increasingly long-standing) core followers.
Furthermore, “Frozen Empire” has an even bigger budget than the previous one, costing $100 million to produce and many millions more to market. It will need to far surpass the revenue of “Afterlife” ($204 million globally against a budget of $75 million) to justify its price, as cinema operators keep around 50% of the revenue.
Critics and audiences were mixed on the sequel, which scored 43% on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B+” CinemaScore. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” follows the events of “Afterlife,” itself a sequel to the 1980s sci-fi comedy classic. (The ill-fated 2016 reboot does not exist in this universe.) Franchise veterans Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman (whose father, Ivan Reitman, directed 1984’s “Ghostbusters”) wrote “Frozen Empire,” which brings new recruits into the legendary ghost-catching game. The company (Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon and Finn Wolfhard) teams up with veterans (Invoice Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts) to prevent an apocalyptic deity from starting a second Ice Age.
This weekend’s new release, Sydney Sweeney’s spiritual horror film “Immaculata,” opened in fourth place with $5 million. Neon backed the film, which follows Sweeney as an American nun who joins a remote convent in the Italian countryside. But her warm welcome is cut short after she discovers that her new home holds some dark secrets. Reviews have been moderate, while viewers have given the film a “C+” CinemaScore (not unusual for the horror style).
“The film features the popular Sydney Sweeney, but horror films are not based on casting,” says David A. Gross, who runs the film consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, who called the opening weekend result “ fair”. “They are pushed by the hook: the evil doll, the depraved smile, the invisible or silent presence, the uncovered footage, the possessed baby. This is what terrifies the horror crowd. The hook may not be entirely clear here.”
Elsewhere, “Dune: Half Two” impressively remained in second place with $17.5 million from 3,437 locations, dropping just 37% from its final release. After three weeks of release, the sci-fi epic has grossed $232 million in North America and more than $500 million globally.
After two weeks at No. 1, Common and DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” fell to No. 3. Ticket sales for the family film were still strong with $16.8 million, a 44% drop from the previous weekend.
Mark Wahlberg’s dog drama “Arthur the King” rounded out the top five with $4.4 million from 3,003 locations. It’s generated $14.6 million so far, which isn’t all that spectacular. However, Lionsgate only spent $19 million on the film, so its modest price could alleviate its box office shortcomings.
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