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“Afterlife” is a direct sequel to the original 1984 picture, directed and co-written by Jason Reitman, son of “Ghostbusters” creator Ivan Reitman. “Afterlife” is presently expected to gross in the low-to-mid $30 million range in its debut weekend, while Sony is forecasting $27-28 million. Even the most optimistic forecasts fall short of the $46 million opening weekend of “Ghostbusters” in 2016. According to reports, “Afterlife” has a far smaller budget than its predecessor. It’s helpful that “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” has generated many positive reviews, but has its fair share of critics (many who hailed Feig’s reboot) panning the film, with some deriding it as “sugar slop” for “hardcore fans”.
Sony has triumphantly revived decades-old properties before, with 2017’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and its 2019 sequel “The Next Level,” as well as 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life.” But the studio has learned the hard way, through major box office disappointments in 2019’s “Charlie’s Angels” and “Men In Black: International,” that not every franchise is destined to return to the big screen.
The final weekend box office figure could vary slightly, with the studio predicting a three-day tally near $28 million and independent tracking services estimating a start closer to $35 million. In any case, the PG-13 “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is eyeing a first-place finish on domestic box office charts. Its only competition is the Warner Bros. sports drama “King Richard,” starring Will Smith as the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. That film is projected to collect $8 million to $10 million from 3,250 cinemas while playing simultaneously on HBO Max.
If you catch this flick this weekend, let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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