Discuss Ghostbusters: Afterlife, released on November 19, 2021 and directed by Jason Reitman.
#4942830
There are now reports that Warner Bros. may release Godzilla vs. Kong on a streaming service. Both Netflix and HBO Max have made offers, allegedly.

I hadn't considered this before, and in hindsight, I should have. Studios don't have millions of dollars in the bank, and actually rely on investors, who charge interest. If a film sits on a shelf for too long, the interest will accumulate to the point where the film will be unable to remain profitable, no matter how well received it is.

Edit: Spelling.
#4942833
I've been thinking of that too. I wonder could Sony pay off the loans with revenue from else where? The thing with ghostbusters is that it's heavily merchandise driven, after star wars its one of earliest examples of this. Sony wants afterlife to drive sales as much as it wants direct profit from movie itself.
#4942835
The footage was interesting, however Richardless is right with the sound effects and we usualy don't agree on anything. I said it earlier that the background music makes it impossible to hear foot steps, knocks, growls, ghost farts etc.. I would look forward to the Ghosthunters live investigations because they removed alot of that stuff out.

As for mediums the only show I find interesting with a pshycic is dead files. John Edwards, (not to be confused with the slime ball politician) piled on to my distrust of mediums. Most haunted didn't help at all.
SpaceBallz liked this
#4942839
It's funny, I believe in ghosts, but now I'm a lot more agnostic than I used to be (I'm also agnostic with regards to God, but unlike ghosts, I admittedly have never been a believer in God). When I was twelve-ish, I was seeing ghosts everywhere, but Occam's razor would suggest I was just hallucinating (which is not uncommon in kids, and is usually benign). I too am a fan of philosophical razors--extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence; don't attribute to malice what can just as easily be attributed to stupidity... Perhaps my favorite is Hitchen's razor--that which is presented without evidence can be dismissed without evidence--since it saves a heck of a lot of time.

I'm skeptical that science could ever prove the existence of ghosts. Let's assume that ghosts are real for a moment. We cannot rely on anecdotal accounts such as my own, since it's impossible to figure out if they are detailing an actual ghost sighting, a hallucination, or a strait up lie. This means that we have to be able to observe the existence of ghosts in a measurable way (photographic evidence would be useful in that it could capture a phenomena we don't understand, but it doesn't help explain the phenomena we are witnessing). Since ghosts aren't exactly a common occurrence, gathering a sufficient amount of data on ghosts could be beyond the scope of any group of scientists.

Let's say that we're able to measure and collect data on a phenomena which is unexplained by science, and we presume shows the existence of ghosts. A ghost is the spiritual remnants of someone who was once alive. To prove that something is a ghost, we'll have to actually trace its existence back to an actual person, and develop a theory of how their death caused them to become a ghost. Basically, to scientifically prove that ghosts are real (going off of my understanding of science, that is) we need to both measure them, and trace them back to an actual person.

This is not to diminish the work of paranormal investigators in any way. I'm just saying that even if paranormal investigators capture ghosts on film/audio, we are still a long ways away from developing a scientific theory that adequately explains the existence of ghosts.
Dr.D liked this
#4942843
Sorry to break topic, but I saw something on a fellow GB fan’s Instagram that gave me an idea. What would have to happen for you to NOT like Ghostbusters Afterlife upon seeing it? At this point, after obsessing over it for the last 23 months, is there anything that could make you unhappy with the movie?

Off the top of my head, here are some things that would put me off:

Ignore or downplay the events of Ghostbusters II
Unnecessarily kill off any original characters besides Egon
Fail to connect the past to the present in a way that makes sense
Not provide enough answers to what has happened over the last 30 years with the original team
Overly political themes shoehorned in
Any attempt to connect 1984/1989 and 2016 universes

I’d be interested to see your responses.
#4942847
RichardLess wrote: December 2nd, 2020, 4:29 am
SpaceBallz wrote: November 30th, 2020, 2:52 pm

Being a paranormal investigator is almost always a lose-lose situation. If you find incredible evidence you have skeptics call you a charlatan and/or you edited the video. If you don't find evidence then you get hit with the obvious "See, told ya." But, if you feel so inclined for some entertainment, check out this clip from our Hinsdale House investigation documentary we're putting together.

Yes. That was highly entertaining. The subtitles are especially hilarious. Lol “growling”.

Do you know why people don’t trust paranormal investigators? Because of that footage you just showed me. The ambient music or sounds that they put in to add atmosphere. The sudden jump cut with a loud sound effect to frighten people. It’s all to try and fool people into thinking what they are seeing is a paranormal encounter. My favourite was the pixelated shadow IR image. That was *chefs kiss* the coup de grace. Instead of “Well as human beings we have evolved over millions of years to see shapes & patterns(like human faces, human outlines etc) and that’s all this is” but no. It’s LOUD NOISE, JUMP CUT & look at this spooky shape we have highlighted for you.

There are a million and 1 plausible explanations for everything in that video clip before paranormal should even be an idea in someone’s head.

I’m a firm believer in Occam’s Razor. Which basically boils down to “all things being equal, the simplest explanation is usually the right one”. It’s fun believing in the unknown. It’s partly why conspiracy theories are so popular. They offer a fantastic, other worldly choice than the boring old real world. Once upon a time we use to think lightning & thunder were caused by a God named Zeus. Until we realized the science behind it. Positive and negative charged regions equalized and produce an electro static explosion. Not as fun as a god named Zeus is it? We like to think we as humans are special and that this all means something more than “you are here to procreate & die”. Ghosts offer something we can latch onto as an idea of life after death. They offer explanations of the spooky sounds houses make, things we would see in the dark before electricity. They bolster the idea of Judeo-Christian theology being correct.

Psychics, mediums and ghost hunters have done far more harm to society than helped. Theyve ripped people off and prey on the emotions of people in despair, usually to line their own pockets. If it weren’t for that I’d say it’s all just harmless fun and nothing to take too seriously. Shows like “Ghost Adventures/Hunters” or “Long Island Medium” have taken critical thinking amongst the populace backwards.

I’m waiting for the ghost equivalent of the Tic Tac UFO video footage. Until then...no.

But by god it would be cool. So very, very cool.
A lot of people don't believe paranormal investigators because of the ambient music? I mean, its still work in progress, I think dead silence makes for a boring watch. But no music at all is interesting too. "Ghost Adventures" is an embarrassment, and we certainly avoid requests from people who ask us to try and contact their dead relatives because of that statement you made about taking advantage of people. Big haunts like the Hinsdale House with an interesting history is what we try to find for our experiments, and I'm going to be honest - this is for our own curiosity and enjoyment. If any ghost hunter tells you that they do it to "help people" they're full of it. I WOULD like to hear one of the million plausible explanations you mentioned for that thermo pic we took of the couch.
#4942848
I am so exhausted at hearing so many people complaining about "kids wearing proton packs"

This is a film franchise where ghosts are real, giant marshmallow men walk down Central Park West, and a pink goo makes inanimate objects dance. Most of you seem totally fine with that. But teenagers wearing Proton Packs is enough of an issue that it seems to be brought up pretty frequently. I recall two lines of dialogue, both in GB2, about how the packs were heavy. Nothing in the first movie at all.

And while we're at it, I gotta say that trying to say this movie is "shoehorning" diversity because the cast isn't all white people is pretty weird. Backing it up with percentages is ever weirder.
Sav C, SpaceBallz, deadderek and 5 others liked this
#4942856
A lot of people don't believe paranormal investigators because of the ambient music? I mean, its still work in progress, I think dead silence makes for a boring watch. But no music at all is interesting too. "Ghost Adventures" is an embarrassment, and we certainly avoid requests from people who ask us to try and contact their dead relatives because of that statement you made about taking advantage of people. Big haunts like the Hinsdale House with an interesting history is what we try to find for our experiments, and I'm going to be honest - this is for our own curiosity and enjoyment. If any ghost hunter tells you that they do it to "help people" they're full of it. I WOULD like to hear one of the million plausible explanations you mentioned for that thermo pic we took of the couch.
It's not the ambient music it's the timing. Pardon the happy medium pun, but there needs to be a balance of when the music occurs. I'd like to hear the noises the investigators are trying to track. Try to deduce what it is as the show's moving along. While I do like Ghosthunters I find it annoying that they don't leave copies of evidence they find with the people they are trying to help.

I don't know if it's common practice for them to do so but I had been to the bird cage theatre a few months after that episode. I asked if they had any evidence on display, the lady working behind the counter said you'd have to watch the show. I just find it unfortunate investigators don't leave evidence behind for people to examine themselves. You think it would give them a PR boost.

Sorry for the repeated stuff in my post, that was a personal experience I thought i'd share.
#4942864
mrmichaelt wrote: November 25th, 2020, 9:09 pmThe thing about the Godzilla franchise is they know they must release theatrically because the Chinese box office is a large component of their profits. They can't skip theaters and go digital. It would be catastrophic.
Wonder Woman 1984 is going to whatever theaters are open in the US plus HBO Max, and is still getting essentially a theatrical release overseas. An HBO Max deal for Godzilla vs. Kong doesn't mean anything for the Chinese release, both because HBO Max is strictly a US platform, and because domestic and international releases are almost always separate deals.

By the way, here's a trustworthy link for this story:

https://deadline.com/2020/11/godzilla-v ... 234622226/
Dr.D wrote: November 25th, 2020, 9:38 pmAs someone who's GB fandom is only rivaled by their Godzilla fandom, it must be pointed out that I do not think WB has the same faith in this movie as Sony might have with GB:A. The last Godzilla movie didn't exactly show up at the box office. Godzilla vs Kong has gone through heavy heavy reshoots, some of which delayed the movie pre-Covid. I think there is a very real chance they are afraid of a very costly bomb and could be looking to streaming as a way of somewhat hedging their bets.
Not dump cold water on this one, but I can't say Sony having faith in Ghostbusters: Afterlife would be the difference here. The most recent box office stories for both movies are the same: Ghostbusters (2016) was also an expensive flop with $3-4m reshoots. Another box office whiff would cement the impression that (subjective qualities aside -- and in this case, I mean Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters as well, both of which I also enjoyed) the audience just isn't that interested in more of these movies.

However, the biggest difference is that Legendary and Warner Bros. rights' to the Godzilla character expire with Godzilla vs. Kong no matter what. If the movie's a huge hit, I imagine they'd try and renew the deal with Toho, but obviously, a set-in-stone end to their license certainly means they're less invested in this one than they might otherwise be. Sony, on the other hand, wants Ghostbusters to continue.

Streaming for Godzilla vs. Kong looks nice, especially on Max, because it preserves a Chinese theatrical release (where KoM made most of its money), and drastically reduces financial risk. It also, once again, gives Warner something to use for promoting their own streamer. I've already stated what I think it would take for Ghostbusters: Afterlife to go to streaming, and I feel like the $200m number that Netflix offered for GvK supports my calculations, but the fact that Sony will want to keep the IP, sequel rights, merch money, and home video still complicates that more than something like GvK.
#4942867
droidguy1119 wrote:Wonder Woman 1984 is going to whatever theaters are open in the US plus HBO Max, and is still getting essentially a theatrical release overseas. An HBO Max deal for Godzilla vs. Kong doesn't mean anything for the Chinese release, both because HBO Max is strictly a US platform, and because domestic and international releases are almost always separate deals.
If they do a dual theater-stream release like WW '84, sure that might help Godzilla vs. Kong than just a standard theatrical run. More people who don't plan on going would be more willing to try it out at home on HBO Max in theory. But I don't think a dual release plan for GvK has been confirmed yet.
droidguy1119 wrote:Streaming for Godzilla vs. Kong looks nice, especially on Max, because it preserves a Chinese theatrical release (where KoM made most of its money), and drastically reduces financial risk. It also, once again, gives Warner something to use for promoting their own streamer. I've already stated what I think it would take for Ghostbusters: Afterlife to go to streaming, and I feel like the $200m number that Netflix offered for GvK supports my calculations, but the fact that Sony will want to keep the IP, sequel rights, merch money, and home video still complicates that more than something like GvK.
Again, I don't yet see Sony teaming up with Netflix even if NF offers them a very nice deal. In the short term, if the offer is big enough that helps Afterlife's profits - great but as you say in the long run, Sony likely wouldn't accept because of IP, sequel rights, merch money, and home video, etc. This wouldn't be an issue if Sony had their own streaming service rolled out like Disney or Warner Bros. Again, it'll be interesting to see if they turn Crunchyroll into that or keep it only anime.
#4942870
Okay Big Spoilers Ahead. I am sure that these are the pictures that were circulating and then vanished. 3C films put out this video a few days ago. Check out the 13 :40 mark in this video if you like. Again if you don't want to get spoiled go no further.

LINK REMOVED
#4942871
Oh that picture leaked days ago.

I will say the likeness of Fin Wolfhard could be better.

Looks like Great Value Finn.
#4942873
Alphagaia wrote: December 3rd, 2020, 2:35 am Wait. They wouldn't be selling Afterlife to Netflix, right? They would be renting it. Why would merchandise and such be part of the deal?
They mean selling the "broadcast" rights. Remember back in the day when it was a big deal to see a movie on tv for the first time? The networks paid the studio to show the movie, this is similar. They're not going to sell the rights to the IP!
Last edited by Bison256 on December 3rd, 2020, 6:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
#4942874
SpaceBallz wrote: December 2nd, 2020, 4:14 pm
RichardLess wrote: December 2nd, 2020, 4:29 am

Yes. That was highly entertaining. The subtitles are especially hilarious. Lol “growling”.

Do you know why people don’t trust paranormal investigators? Because of that footage you just showed me. The ambient music or sounds that they put in to add atmosphere. The sudden jump cut with a loud sound effect to frighten people. It’s all to try and fool people into thinking what they are seeing is a paranormal encounter. My favourite was the pixelated shadow IR image. That was *chefs kiss* the coup de grace. Instead of “Well as human beings we have evolved over millions of years to see shapes & patterns(like human faces, human outlines etc) and that’s all this is” but no. It’s LOUD NOISE, JUMP CUT & look at this spooky shape we have highlighted for you.

There are a million and 1 plausible explanations for everything in that video clip before paranormal should even be an idea in someone’s head.

I’m a firm believer in Occam’s Razor. Which basically boils down to “all things being equal, the simplest explanation is usually the right one”. It’s fun believing in the unknown. It’s partly why conspiracy theories are so popular. They offer a fantastic, other worldly choice than the boring old real world. Once upon a time we use to think lightning & thunder were caused by a God named Zeus. Until we realized the science behind it. Positive and negative charged regions equalized and produce an electro static explosion. Not as fun as a god named Zeus is it? We like to think we as humans are special and that this all means something more than “you are here to procreate & die”. Ghosts offer something we can latch onto as an idea of life after death. They offer explanations of the spooky sounds houses make, things we would see in the dark before electricity. They bolster the idea of Judeo-Christian theology being correct.

Psychics, mediums and ghost hunters have done far more harm to society than helped. Theyve ripped people off and prey on the emotions of people in despair, usually to line their own pockets. If it weren’t for that I’d say it’s all just harmless fun and nothing to take too seriously. Shows like “Ghost Adventures/Hunters” or “Long Island Medium” have taken critical thinking amongst the populace backwards.

I’m waiting for the ghost equivalent of the Tic Tac UFO video footage. Until then...no.

But by god it would be cool. So very, very cool.
A lot of people don't believe paranormal investigators because of the ambient music? I mean, its still work in progress, I think dead silence makes for a boring watch. But no music at all is interesting too. "Ghost Adventures" is an embarrassment, and we certainly avoid requests from people who ask us to try and contact their dead relatives because of that statement you made about taking advantage of people. Big haunts like the Hinsdale House with an interesting history is what we try to find for our experiments, and I'm going to be honest - this is for our own curiosity and enjoyment. If any ghost hunter tells you that they do it to "help people" they're full of it. I WOULD like to hear one of the million plausible explanations you mentioned for that thermo pic we took of the couch.

Here’s a couple. IR light bounces so it could be a reflection, it could be hidden moisture, it could be hot/cold water pipes behind a wall, particles of matter giving off an IR signature, it could be faked or staged(I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt of this one). To me it looks like a IR reflection or bounce. But I don’t know the quality of camera you are using. All of these things are more likely than “ghost”. Again, as humans we look for patterns in the noise.

Yes a lot of people don’t believe in this stuff because of the obvious atmosphere you are trying to establish with the music. This is meant to entertain, not tell a truth. You are holding the audiences hand telling them what to feel. This is how background music works and why it’s so effective. The music and sounds created here are deliberately mysterious & creepy. When I hear that kind of stuff I almost always automatically discount any evidence that isn’t concrete. If the evidence was good enough, you’d let it tell the story, not the music. And the jump cut to the picture, I mean come on.

But hey, whatever. If you believe, cool. Have fun. You’re pretty much living the dream of every young GBfan, minus the cool car & proton pack. Just some quick advice. If you spot a ghost and it asks you if you’re a god, you say YES!
#4942875
Alphagaia wrote: December 2nd, 2020, 10:32 am Are we sure that's how it works?

Because sometimes movies get shelved for years and years.
That’s how it works...for some studios. Most film finance is done thru banks & loans. On Godzilla/King Kong, Legendary is the production company & Warners is the distributor. Legendary is owned by a Chinese firm so knowing where the money comes from is...iffy. But it’s probably loans. Which means that the longer it’s not generating revenue the more the studio looses. Sometimes those rates are tied to a specific date.

Most studio tent poles don’t have “investors” mind you. That’s more the indie film market.

Hollywood accounting is seriously messed up. If there was ever any federal investigation into how Hollywood finances some of its movies...oh boy.

Remember Tomb Raider? From 2001? It broke even before the movie even hit theatres. How? Through a complex German tax incentive program. They would sell the copyright to some German shell company for 90 million dollars, and then later buy it back for 1 dollar. This qualified it as a German production which got something like 75% of its budget covered. Sometimes 100%. Seriously. That might be simplifying how it works but the gist is they get a huge amount of the budget covered. How often does that happen? No one knows.

If you stay until the very, very end of the film credits on certain movies, you’ll see a copyright production company name. That copyright production company name is specific to the movie. It doesn’t appear anywhere but at the very end of the credits. So, for example, for Pirates of the Caribbean you’d think it just would say “Disney” right? Nope. It’s something like “First Mate Productions Inc” and the sequel was “Second Mate Productions Inc”. The third was “Third Mate Productions Inc” and so on. Sometimes those copyrights are used for shady tax & financing reasons. Tax payers funding hundreds of millions of dollars worth of film production.
Alphagaia liked this
#4942879
@Richardless: thx for the clarification! I remember MIB being notorious for never becoming profitable, just so they didn't have to pay the writer a percentage of the profit. At least I thought that as the reason, have to look it up. Guy even had to go to court to get this settled.
But bottom line, a franchisestarter that spawned 3 sequels never made money according to the books.
Last edited by Kingpin on December 3rd, 2020, 11:36 am, edited 1 time in total.Reason: Removed response to removed posts.
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#4942885
Normally, I'd say we shouldn't expect anything soon because everything is still so up in the air. But I do feel like it's getting to the point where they need to fan the flames a little bit to keep interest going. I don't think they'd be so short-sighted to save all marketing until just before the release and with the way things are right now there does seem to be a chance the release date holds.
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