The Big Picture

Sony’s
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
beats box office expectations with a $45 million opening weekend.
Critical reception for the new installment is low with a 43% Rotten Tomatoes score and B+ CinemaScore.
Franchise veterans return in the $100 million budget film, aiming to replicate past box office success.

Sony is estimating a stronger-than-expected opening weekend haul for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which debuted this week. As recently as yesterday, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was headed for an opening weekend haul of around $43 million, which would have put it under the $44 million that 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife debuted with. But according to the studio’s estimates, the latest installment in the long-running franchise has grossed $45 million in its first three days of release.

This figure will change once actual numbers are reported on Monday, but as things stand, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire finds itself sandwiched between the $44 million that Afterlife generated in its opening, and the $46 million that 2016’s all-female Ghostbusters grossed in its first three days. Directed by Gil Kenan, the new film opened to noticeably poorer critical and audience reception as compared to its two direct predecessors. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire currently sits at a “rotten” 43% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, and has a B+ CinemaScore from opening day audiences — both franchise-lows.

Afterlife and the 2016 Ghostbusters concluded their domestic runs with roughly $130 million each, and between $200 million and $230 million worldwide. Afterlife cost about half as much as the 2016 reboot, and Ghosbusters: Frozen Empirereportedly comes with a $100 million price tag. The movie brings back franchise veteransBill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts alongside the last film’s leads, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace.

Two New Horror Films Offered Counter-Programming

Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Two held on to its number two spot for the third weekend in a row, with an estimated haul of around $16 million. This takes the science-fiction sequel’s running domestic gross to nearly $235 million. Dune: Part Two recently overtook Wonka to become star Timothée Chalamet’s top-grossing film at the domestic box office. This weekend, the movie is expected to pass the $550 million mark worldwide, as it sets its sights on overtaking Wonka’s $630 million lifetime haul, and meeting its projected final global gross of around $700 million.

Another holdover sequel, Universal’s Kung Fu Panda 4, slipped to the number three spot. The movie grossed an estimated $16.8 million in its third weekend, taking its running domestic total to $133 million. Kung Fu Panda 4 will overtake the $143 million lifetime haul of Kung Fu Panda 3 by next weekend, and will likely also pass the $165 million lifetime haul of Kung Fu Panda 2 in the coming weeks. The franchise record rests with the first film, which concluded its domestic run with $215 million in 2008.

The fourth and fifth spots this weekend went to Neon’s new horror offering Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney, and last week’s holdover release Arthur the King, starring Mark Wahlberg. Immaculate is estimated to have made $5.3 million this weekend, while Arthur the King added $4.3 million to its domestic total. Debuting just outside the top five, IFC’s Late Night with the Devil is estimated to have grossed just under $3 million in its debut, despite playing in 1,300 fewer theaters than Immaculate. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.Release Date March 22, 2024 Director Gil Kenan

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