I told everyone on Twitter that I would be covering the new Ghostbusters box office results no matter which way things turned out. According to Deadline Hollywood, the film had a slightly bigger than expected Friday and may finish as high as $45 million for the weekend (this is pathetic when you consider that a Ghostbusters reboot with real power behind it should easily open with $80 million+). According to Box Office Mojo, they spent $144 million on the production budget alone. I would have to figure that they shelled out at least $100 million on advertising and other related promotional activities (Deadline made the same estimate). If that’s the case, this project needs to clear around $250 million in order to be profitable.
Even if it ends up with $49 mill this weekend, I would expect at least a 50% drop for next weekend. In short, I will be very surprised if it surpasses $100 million domestic. The rest will have to be made up internationally. Does the film have a chance to pull this off? Certainly. But there’s also a very good chance that things go way south after the opening. Given the early reports that are coming in from Twitter, I wouldn’t like the odds if I was director Paul Feig…
LOTS OF EMPTY SEATS ON TWITTER…
Seeing the new #ghostbusters #movie with an empty theater… OR… A theater full of #ghosts! 👻 #IMAX #3D https://t.co/wNgOkzHah5
— Nick-Tok (@Nick_Tok) July 15, 2016
Sitting down to watch #Ghostbusters theater is empty.
— Echo Papa (@DJEchoPapa) July 15, 2016
About to watch #Ghostbusters and the IMAX is frightfully empty 👻
— Vern Channel 5 (@silentFuseVW) July 15, 2016
In the theater to see #Ghostbusters now. Opening day. 10 minutes until show time. Empty theater. Okay then.
— Ron Basler (@RonBasler) July 16, 2016
What is going on! Empty theatre for #Ghostbusters on opening day!?!? pic.twitter.com/vF4UTrixSH
— Rachel Chunglo (@RaeBChunglo) July 16, 2016
Saw #Ghostbusters tonight in a nearly empty theater. Yeah. Not a good sign.
— KietChieng (@KietChieng) July 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/Bastille1791/status/754212585084362752
Ok but I REALLY LOVED #Ghostbusters and I'm really sad we had such an empty theater! Come on! Support my girls!!
— Jessie Velociraptor Juwono (@jessiejuwono) July 16, 2016
Just got out of #Ghostbusters, okay movie, Kate M is a star. But it was so empty it was almost spooky 💀👻#UhOh
— Lucy Lane (@LucyGoosey0000) July 16, 2016
Find out why UK cinemas were empty on the Premiere of #Ghostbusters in my review https://t.co/Aq6ivtkB1l pic.twitter.com/UmUUq6Ux9R
— Phiano (@Magodadrummaboy) July 15, 2016
It’s not exactly playing like a blockbuster, now is it?
