[JurorNo.2]

Hey all, just got back from Star Trek Beyond! Cast was game, as usual. What was the movie about? I haven't a clue, lol.

[TrickOrTreater]

Man I can't wait for that Sinister Six, ASM 3 and Aunt May spin off!

Oh...yeah...

[Robzy]

You couldn't be more wrong. Boxoffice is more important than ever. The home video market is no longer the saving grace it once was(you see any Blockbuster videos around anymore?). I don't think you understand the effect piracy has had on the industry. The theatrical window is prime time. It's why movies get made. You think these companies make movies for any other reason? Digital download stores like iTunes and streaming sites like Netflix don't make up the difference.

Absolutely agree!

This has always been one of my favorite things.

"Okay so the first movie didn't do all that well and BARELY met expectations, now we'll wait for the SEQUEL when they'll REALLY kick it into high gear guys!"

Yes, these days, according to some people, first movies in a series just have to be barely okay for people to just throw their money at the studios in hopes that, maybe one day soon, they'll get an even BETTER movie later on.

Again, agreed! The logic is insane.

Thought this would be relevant. Mattel reporting strong sales for GB.

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/matte ... 201820557/

I'd like to see actual numbers on that. "Exceeds expectations" doesn't really mean much to me in either good or bad terms.

My friend is a retail store manager, and she says her store isn't moving them at all.

When I go in to stores I've noticed a LOT of the GB stuff is relatively untouched. Seems odd to me.

Me too. Ghostbusters figures are not selling at all near me. Except for the 1984 characters - most stores only have Ray left.

My biggest pull-away from that chart is the location averages.

LOL omg I just noticed that, the reboot had a higher theater count compared to the others that are adjusted for modern prices. That is a major let-down.

Yeah, exactly. Look at the number of theatres. Hardly a comparison!

[Alphagaia]

Box office is not everything in a franchise such as StarWars and GB. (For a movie like 'the shallows' it's an entire different matter). While it's certainly Important, it's the merch that's just as important as an income, if not more.

Remember how for GB2 the actors wanted a bigger cut in the merch sales after finding out how much was sold. That's where the money lies.

These kind of movies are to keep the fans interested or create more, the merch is what keep raking in the money in between. This means later movies will cater to bigger crowds interred in seeing it and thus more income etc.
Take Ecto cooler for example: the stuff is flying of the shelves! Matty is reporting big sales as well.

Star wars was released on worldwide on the same day and has a big following , lots of merch and while the prequels were not the best, they kept the franchise afloat (not that it was sinking) easily the to all the new merch, cartoons. It was a sure hit, and while playing it very safe and rehashing the story somewhat it's legacy meant it was going to be a hit and it has enough promise to expand the story.

Ghost corps wants to attract such market and numbers as well, but one movie is not going to do it. It needs more content out there, like the cartoons, more merch etc.

Now, again, GB:ATC is doing OK, and great would have always been better, but as long as it's not going below expectations, the long term plan of rekindling the franchise is safe.

[timeware]

Ecto Cooler is indeed flying off the shelves. It vanishes like a specter before I can find it!

[GBfan_CH]

Over in the UK there doesn't seem to be any merchandise at all. Just what you can buy online. I haven't been to Toys R Us for a look, but everywhere I have been is just Star Wars and ninja turtles. Seems odd.

[MagicPrime]

If the new movie is a sign of the future of the franchise, I think I may have to just withdraw entirely in the near future. It is apparent it's not "for me" anymore and I just don't "get it."

They can't take away my dvds or childhood memories, but they can take away my enthusiasm for the future franchise.

[Alphagaia]

If the new movie is a sign of the future of the franchise, I think I may have to just withdraw entirely in the near future. It is apparent it's not "for me" anymore and I just don't "get it."

They can't take away my dvds or childhood memories, but they can take away my enthusiasm for the future franchise.

That's because you are basing the future on one movie. They could just as easily continue the other timeline with stuff, games or merchandise as well and build up multiple franchises so they are able to cater to different fans, or both.

[Lee FW]

Over in the UK there doesn't seem to be any merchandise at all. Just what you can buy online. I haven't been to Toys R Us for a look, but everywhere I have been is just Star Wars and ninja turtles. Seems odd.

Yup, my girlfriend has been on a quest for a Holtzman figure for weeks and can't bring herself to pay the £40 from amazon for it. Toys R Us is a bust, ours had nothing.

Thinking about it though, toys generally suck here over the summer, just take a look at the slimmed down toy section in the argos catalogue (which always bugged me as kid as I hated looking at paddling pools and swing ball sets rather than circling all the things I wanted but couldn't have lol) I think Ghostbusters hit at the wrong time to make any significant money on toys in the UK. If rumours are true and we're getting them in Autumn that makes a lot of sense as will co-incide with DVD/Blu-Ray release and the run up to Christmas.

[Jangonate]

Ghostbusters seems to be performing as expected. These numbers were posted by Deadline lasf night so they could fluctuate some, but Friday brought in an estimated $6.6 million and is projected to hit $22.5 million. From Deadline:

"1). Star Trek Beyond (PAR), 3,928 theaters / $23M Fri. (includes $5.5M previews)/ 3-day cume: $60.3M /Wk 1

2). The Secret Life of Pets (ILL/UNI), 4,048 theaters (-333) / $8.8M Fri. (-42%)/ 3-day cume: $29.4M (-42%)/Total Cume: $260.8M/Wk 3

3). Ghostbusters (SONY), 3,963 theaters / $6.6M Fri. (-61%)/ 3-day cume: $22.5M (-51%)/Total: $87.7M/Wk 2

4). Lights Out (WB/NL), 2,818 theaters / $8.4M Fri. (includes $1.8M previews)/ 3-day cume: $20.2M /Wk 1

5). Ice Age: Collusion Course (FOX), 3,992 theaters / $6.6M Fri. (includes $850K previews)/ 3-day cume: $18.5M /Wk 1"

[RichardLess]

Ghostbusters seems to be performing as expected. These numbers were posted by Deadline lasf night so they could fluctuate some, but Friday brought in an estimated $6.6 million and is projected to hit $22.5 million. From Deadline:

"1). Star Trek Beyond (PAR), 3,928 theaters / $23M Fri. (includes $5.5M previews)/ 3-day cume: $60.3M /Wk 1

2). The Secret Life of Pets (ILL/UNI), 4,048 theaters (-333) / $8.8M Fri. (-42%)/ 3-day cume: $29.4M (-42%)/Total Cume: $260.8M/Wk 3

3). Ghostbusters (SONY), 3,963 theaters / $6.6M Fri. (-61%)/ 3-day cume: $22.5M (-51%)/Total: $87.7M/Wk 2

4). Lights Out (WB/NL), 2,818 theaters / $8.4M Fri. (includes $1.8M previews)/ 3-day cume: $20.2M /Wk 1

5). Ice Age: Collusion Course (FOX), 3,992 theaters / $6.6M Fri. (includes $850K previews)/ 3-day cume: $18.5M /Wk 1"

Ouch! A 61% drop on Friday to Friday is even worse than I expected. It's going to have to do better for SAT/SUN if they expect to reach 22 million. Yikes.

The numbers for Friday are actually pretty bad. According to Boxoffice mojo Lights out is doing better than expected. Ghostbusters came in at number 5 with 6.2 million(ouch). We find out tomorrow what kind of legs she has. Anything below 25 million means this will do 120 million, maybe 130 if they are lucky. Jason Bourne and Suicide Squad still await.

[JurorNo.2]

Jason Bourne and Suicide Squad still await.

They don't await my money, that's for sure.

[RichardLess]

Box office is not everything in a franchise such as StarWars and GB. (For a movie like 'the shallows' it's an entire different matter). While it's certainly Important, it's the merch that's just as important as an income, if not more.

Remember how for GB2 the actors wanted a bigger cut in the merch sales after finding out how much was sold. That's where the money lies.

These kind of movies are to keep the fans interested or create more, the merch is what keep raking in the money in between. This means later movies will cater to bigger crowds interred in seeing it and thus more income etc.
Take Ecto cooler for example: the stuff is flying of the shelves! Matty is reporting big sales as well.

Star wars was released on worldwide on the same day and has a big following , lots of merch and while the prequels were not the best, they kept the franchise afloat (not that it was sinking) easily the to all the new merch, cartoons. It was a sure hit, and while playing it very safe and rehashing the story somewhat it's legacy meant it was going to be a hit and it has enough promise to expand the story.

Ghost corps wants to attract such market and numbers as well, but one movie is not going to do it. It needs more content out there, like the cartoons, more merch etc.

Now, again, GB:ATC is doing OK, and great would have always been better, but as long as it's not going below expectations, the long term plan of rekindling the franchise is safe.

Ghostbusters merch from the movie didn't sell at all actually. Real Ghostbusters is what sold. There were no Toys from the movie back in the day.
You are correct tho. They need more content. They need a new cartoon.

I think the Star Wars prequels get a bum rap. I love those movies. Of course they aren't as good as the original Trilogy but I enjoy them more than Episode 7. I just found episode 7 to be lacking in imagination. Every planet was blah, they reused the Death Star idea AGAIN. I liked the new cast but found the movie to be very Un-Star Wars. Even John Williams score didn't seem Star Warsy like it should. George Lucas can't write dialogue very well but he's a great story guy. I think he was the missing ingredient. I know 99.9% of fandom disagrees with me on that, but it's just my opinion.

[JurorNo.2]

Ghostbusters merch from the movie didn't sell at all actually. Real Ghostbusters is what sold. There were no Toys from the movie back in the day.
You are correct tho. They need more content. They need a new cartoon.

Yeah I do feel like RGB is the unsung hero of the franchise.

I think the Star Wars prequels get a bum rap. I love those movies. Of course they aren't as good as the original Trilogy but I enjoy them more than Episode 7. I just found episode 7 to be lacking in imagination. Every planet was blah, they reused the Death Star idea AGAIN. I liked the new cast but found the movie to be very Un-Star Wars. Even John Williams score didn't seem Star Warsy like it should. George Lucas can't write dialogue very well but he's a great story guy. I think he was the missing ingredient. I know 99.9% of fandom disagrees with me on that, but it's just my opinion.

I get you, Lucas is an amazing Ideas Man. Gene Roddenberry from Star Trek was the same. Thing is, Roddenberry had a group of writers to work with (though he didn't get along with all of them. ). That's where Lucas went wrong with the prequels.

[Ivo Shandor]

If those numbers hold up, Sony will be happy. The movie will hit $100 million by next weekend and looking at a $125M+ total.

If they want a sequel, nothing in those numbers will throw cold water on it.

Since I liked ATC and would like to see a sequel, I'm happy this morning.

[Alphagaia]

You are correct tho. They need more content. They need a new cartoon.

Yeah, they are working on it! Don't forget the kids that enjoyed RGB are adults now, so (orginal) merch is going to sell. Look at that GB boardgame from last year. Combine that with the current kid generation with a craving for toys, which helped shape GB16 into the form it is now (for good and bad, most will agree) and they are looking to cater to a big and small demographic if all goes according to plan.

[featofstrength]

Box office is not everything in a franchise such as StarWars and GB. (For a movie like 'the shallows' it's an entire different matter). While it's certainly Important, it's the merch that's just as important as an income, if not more.

Remember how for GB2 the actors wanted a bigger cut in the merch sales after finding out how much was sold. That's where the money lies.

These kind of movies are to keep the fans interested or create more, the merch is what keep raking in the money in between. This means later movies will cater to bigger crowds interred in seeing it and thus more income etc.
Take Ecto cooler for example: the stuff is flying of the shelves! Matty is reporting big sales as well.

Star wars was released on worldwide on the same day and has a big following , lots of merch and while the prequels were not the best, they kept the franchise afloat (not that it was sinking) easily the to all the new merch, cartoons. It was a sure hit, and while playing it very safe and rehashing the story somewhat it's legacy meant it was going to be a hit and it has enough promise to expand the story.

Ghost corps wants to attract such market and numbers as well, but one movie is not going to do it. It needs more content out there, like the cartoons, more merch etc.

Now, again, GB:ATC is doing OK, and great would have always been better, but as long as it's not going below expectations, the long term plan of rekindling the franchise is safe.

Ghostbusters merch from the movie didn't sell at all actually. Real Ghostbusters is what sold. There were no Toys from the movie back in the day.
You are correct tho. They need more content. They need a new cartoon.

I think the Star Wars prequels get a bum rap. I love those movies. Of course they aren't as good as the original Trilogy but I enjoy them more than Episode 7. I just found episode 7 to be lacking in imagination. Every planet was blah, they reused the Death Star idea AGAIN. I liked the new cast but found the movie to be very Un-Star Wars. Even John Williams score didn't seem Star Warsy like it should. George Lucas can't write dialogue very well but he's a great story guy. I think he was the missing ingredient. I know 99.9% of fandom disagrees with me on that, but it's just my opinion.

Haha...ATC reminds me of:

[MagicPrime]

I only hope the new cartoon is as detached from the new movie as the new movie is to the original.

Or at least has better writers.

[pferreira1983]

Just for clarification...this one:

"Yeah it will do fairly well because of curiosity rather than rabid fans wanting to see the movie. Take into account the fanbases of the actresses as well as the director and the reboot will draw enough people in for them to do a second movie aka The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

Yes, correct and so far it's following my predictions.

[MagicPrime]

If those numbers hold up, Sony will be happy. The movie will hit $100 million by next weekend and looking at a $125M+ total.

If they want a sequel, nothing in those numbers will throw cold water on it.

Since I liked ATC and would like to see a sequel, I'm happy this morning.

If they are going to bank on a $100+ million dollar loss on a franchise starter, I hope they at least take to heart some of the real criticisms of the movie and improve the product. If a sequel comes out and its just the same rapid fire joke joke joke style comedy then I have to find a further realm of disappointment below where I currently reside.

[TrickOrTreater]

Just for clarification...this one:

"Yeah it will do fairly well because of curiosity rather than rabid fans wanting to see the movie. Take into account the fanbases of the actresses as well as the director and the reboot will draw enough people in for them to do a second movie aka The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

Yes, correct and so far it's following my predictions.

Oh yeah. Amazing Spider-Man 2. That worked out so well for Sony.

[Ron Daniels]

Yes, correct and so far it's following my predictions.

Oh yeah. Amazing Spider-Man 2. That worked out so well for Sony.

If they made a sequel to Ghostbusters Answer The Call for the same costs and the sequel made what ASM2 made, Sony would net almost 200m in profit.

ASM2 made a small profit. It's just a messy movie.

[RichardLess]

Oh yeah. Amazing Spider-Man 2. That worked out so well for Sony.

If they made a sequel to Ghostbusters Answer The Call for the same costs and the sequel made what ASM2 made, Sony would net almost 200k in profit.

ASM2 made a small profit. It's just a messy movie.

Where are you pulling these imaginary numbers from? ASM 2 made just over 700 million worldwide. Did you mean 200 million? Cause 200k seems a bit low.
Amazing Spiderman 2 was just awful. I didn't mind ASM but yikes Foxx was awful as the bad guy and the music? Holy god what were they thinking?

Question: Why are people referring to this as Ghostbusters Answer the Call? Cause of the credits? Or is that the title in the UK?

[Sav C]

Question: Why are people referring to this as Ghostbusters Answer the Call? Cause of the credits? Or is that the title in the UK?

It's probably just to distinguish from the first one, but that's only my assumption.

[timeware]

The emphasis and internet drama over four female Ghostbusters weren't enough to distinguish the movie from the original? Lol. Who came up with that title? It sounds like a bad musical like turn off the dark!

My thoughts on the answer the call title:



Seriously though I haven't heard it being called that until the last few days. The title Ghostbusters should have been fine. They never named Ghostbusters II, Lady Liberty moved by Slime.

[Sav C]

I don't think people want to say "Ghostbusters 1984" and "Ghostbusters 2016" when trying to distinguish between the two, but odds are I'm wrong.

[Ron Daniels]

Where are you pulling these imaginary numbers from? ASM 2 made just over 700 million worldwide. Did you mean 200 million? Cause 200k seems a bit low.
Amazing Spiderman 2 was just awful. I didn't mind ASM but yikes Foxx was awful as the bad guy and the music? Holy god what were they thinking?

Should have been million. Straight typo. Here is the reported cost v. profit of ASM2 -- http://deadline.com/2015/03/amazing-spi ... 201389608/

Question: Why are people referring to this as Ghostbusters Answer the Call? Cause of the credits? Or is that the title in the UK?

The movie was retitled shortly before release by Sony. See e.g. http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-rise-and-fal ... 1783369285

[Lee FW]

don't forget we probably should take into account the whole business of "creative/hollywood accounting" , the practice of vastly inflating budget and overheads to make it look like a loss on paper. It's normally only when the wildly successful films make use of this that we ever hear about it but it happens all the time. Simple things like renting out assets that they own to the production, studio facilities and offices etc. I guarantee when a mediocre performing movie gets a sequel this will've been a factor. All perfectly legal and done on almost every production I've worked on (mostly to stiff me out of back end bonuses at the end) The figures won't be a major blow for sony, they'll make it work in their favour even if just as a tax write off.

[Ivo Shandor]

Why are people referring to this as Ghostbusters Answer the Call? Cause of the credits? Or is that the title in the UK?

Because it's the title of the movie. Ghostbusters: Answer the Call.

[Jangonate]

don't forget we probably should take into account the whole business of "creative/hollywood accounting" , the practice of vastly inflating budget and overheads to make it look like a loss on paper. It's normally only when the wildly successful films make use of this that we ever hear about it but it happens all the time. Simple things like renting out assets that they own to the production, studio facilities and offices etc. I guarantee when a mediocre performing movie gets a sequel this will've been a factor. All perfectly legal and done on almost every production I've worked on (mostly to stiff me out of back end bonuses at the end) The figures won't be a major blow for sony, they'll make it work in their favour even if just as a tax write off.

I appreciate your perspective.

Still waiting for those weekend estimates. They'll get here this afternoon and then be adjusted tomorrow morning. Interesting thing to note is that Star Trek has fallen to a predicted $56 million weekend. That's $14 million less than previous installments. As with every other big film this year (that doesn't have an animated animal or Cap in the title) it is underperforming. This has not been a big summer at the movies. I'm with others that have suggested a different release for Ghostbusters. The magic happened February - May and we're seeing the same for November and December. So many movies are coming out and people are pickier than usual about what they go to see. Before, I thought it was a trend relegated to only the Rotten scored films on RT, but GB and STB have good, fresh scores and they are underperforming.