Trailer Tracking - Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer #2
Will the latest attempt to bring the Ghostbusters IP back from the dead stay-puft or get snuft at the Box Office?
Welcome to Trailer Tracking, where we predict a movie’s opening weekend Box Office just from watching the trailer.
This week we stare into the cold, dead eyes of the 2nd Trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a film shot in 2019 and originally slated to drop July 20th, 2020, now appearing in theaters November 11th, 2021.
The Original 1984 Ghostbusters was a graveyard SMASH with a $13.6 Million opening and a $242.2 Domestic haul. The 1989 sequel was a hit with $29.4 Million opening and a still very good $112.4 Domestic total, but it is less than beloved. Ghostbusters: Answer The Call arrived in 2016 hoping to recapture the magic of the first film, but was a commercial disappointment, snagging a $46 Million opening and petering out at $128.3 Million Domestic.
So that brings us to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a continuation of a franchise that has one beloved film, a mostly forgotten sequel, and a reboot that is too divisive to even talk about.
Starting Prediction = $20 Million
Let’s watch the trailer!
(0:01) First shot is a water tower in a small town. Ghostbusters is a New York City franchise! ( - $5M)
(0:13) This trailer is so dour. Paul Rudd has bags under his eyes and this nerd just got assaulted by a Doritos bag. What is this? ( - $2M)
(0:24) Ghost Trap sighting! Something recognizable ( + $5M)
(0:31) Ghostbusters: Welcome To The Dust Bowl ( - $2M)
(0:37) A BLACK & WHITE PHOTO of the original cast. Movies were in color in 1984! This trailer is going out of its way to be drab ( - $5M)
(0:39) Annie Potts! It's something ( + $2M)
(0:42) So Egon’s son was a deadbeat? You could have made him rich, but that would be FUN, something this movie doesn’t want to BE ( - $1M)
(0:49) A glimpse at a dust covered Ghostbusters logo under a filthy sheet. That’s this movie in a nutshell ( - $5M)
(1:00) “From Director Jason Reitman” ( - $7M)
(1:25) Answers the question, “What’s lazier than Batman v Superman using Quicktime videos to introduce the Justice League?”( - $3M)
(1:32) Cute lil’ Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men! Positive Gremlins vibes ( + $8M)
(1:53) I’m not from the Stacks so… is that a ghost or a coal miner in good health? ( + $2M)
(2:07) They even made Slimer the color of dirty dish water. I’ve had it with this trailer! ( - $3M)
(2:18) Wow! Dan Aykroyd waiting by the phone. Just like in real life! ( + $2M)
In Summation
What would drive a studio to:
1) Take a fun, colorful franchise and make it incredibly drab?
2) Move it out of an interesting location like NYC and drop kick it into Ass Water, USA?
3) Rip off Stranger Things but get the cast members at the most awkward time in their adolescence?
4) Hire Paul Rudd, one of the most handsome, funny and charming men to ever set foot in front of a camera and FORBID HIM TO SMILE?
Our guess? Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a tax write-off for Sony.
Our Predicted Domestic Opening = $6 Million