If Ghostbusters Needs Help With Another Sequel, There's Somebody They Can Call
There's a question about whether Ghostbusters Frozen Empire will do well enough to justify another sequel. It was great seeing so many of the original cast in this movie, but there was so much going on with the movie itself that it lost the attention of the people.
The critics didn't give it a very favorable review, because the movie couldn't quite decide what it wanted to be. Some people have even suggested that they tried to cram a full Ghostbusters series or two or three movies into one, and what they got was unsatisfying to the viewers.
When Jason Reitman directed Ghostbusters Afterlife, he was making a love letter to the first two movies. This was seen as a sequel, but also a slap in the face to fans of Ghostbusters 2016. Ghostbusters 2016 was not a continuation but a reboot, and it did what a Ghostbusters movie should do.
The reality is Ghostbusters 2016 gets so much hate for political reasons. Some will point to the fact that they went all female with the cast as an issue. I felt that way initially but have become a fan of the movie after giving it a chance 2 years after its release. It wasn't the best Ghostbusters movie but it was still not bad.
When you look at comedies, not every joke lands. You hope that more of your jokes land in a comedy than not, but not every joke will make everybody laugh. There were laughs to be had in Ghostbusters 2016, and it offered the things you would expect from this franchise. Because it didn't succeed at the box office, it was seen as a failure.
Some of it could have been avoided had Paul Feig listened to the people who told him what he needed to do. Paul took the movie over budget and relied a little bit too much on improvisation. Therefore, Ghostbusters 2016 didn't appeal to as big a market as they would have liked.
Likewise, Ghostbusters Frozen Empire isn't quite appealing to a big enough market either. If they wish to keep the Ghostbusters franchise intact, they're going to have to right the ship and come up with something that can bring the fans together. There is a controversial option that could be used.
These days, the multiverse has been used in other franchises. When you think about it, the Ghostbusters franchise lends itself much easier to that concept. What if, the prime Ghostbusters universe we know from the first movie somehow crossed paths with the Ghostbusters 2016 universe?
Impossible, you say? Whether you are a fan of that movie or not, finding a way to make it acceptable will get fans of 2016 on board with something new and do a lot to restore good faith. With the proper writing, it can work, because the ladies who were in the 2016 movie are good actresses.
I'm spitballing an idea here, but I would suggest that Ray, played by Dan Aykroyd, and Holtz, played by Kate McKinnon, could somehow connect as both are researching a baddie that is threatening both universes. You can go from there. If you wanted to throw a further link between the two, Holtz could somehow be related to the Egon Spangler from her universe.
Is it perfect? Maybe not. Would this be an idea that they'll entertain? I doubt it. However, I think they could come up with something that would be satisfying to the groups in both camps. Done right, it could be the biggest Ghostbusters hit they've had in years. Come up with a good budget, a good story and stay on target. With marketing, it may just be the hit they need to keep things going.
