Ghostbusters: Afterlife Nabs $16.5 Million on Friday, On Track for #1 Slot

Nabbing an A- CinemaScore, Sony’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife is on its way to becoming the #1 movie in America after the studio has confirmed a Friday total of $16.5 million. The fourth film in the series, though one that ignores the 2016 reboot and acts as a sequel to the two films from the 1980s, will successfully hold off the competition this week with Marvel’s Eternals slipping into second place for the first time since debuting in theaters. Afterlife is on track for a $40 million haul for the entire weekend, beating projections headed into the weekend, and will no doubt cruise to a nice hail through the Thanksgiving holiday.

Following the publication of the box office numbers for the film, Ghostbusters (2016) filmmaker Paul Feig paid tribute to Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman’s success, tweeting: “Huge congrats to ⁦@JasonReitman⁩ and the whole #GhostbustersAfterlife cast and crew on this amazing opening weekend. The film is brilliant. So exciting to have a whole new generation bustin’! Here’s to many more ecto adventures!” Retiman responded in kind with: “You are a class act, a great friend, and a brilliant director. My heart is filled with gratitude for @paulfeig, the brilliant ATC cast and crew. Thank you for expanding the GB universe and giving me the courage to attempt a Ghost movie.”

As of this writing Ghostbusters: Afterlife is sitting at 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, just a couple of points shy from being given the dreaded green splat and a “Rotten” distinction. The film’s audience score however bodes much higher with over 1000+ verified ratings putting at 95%. For comparison’s sake, Ghostbusters: Afterlife has the highest Audience Rating on Rotten Tomatoes out of any of the films in the series, even beating out the 1984 original film. Ghosbusters (1986) has a 97% Critics rating and 88% Audience score while 1989’s Ghostbusters II has 53% Critic score and 61% audience. 2016’s Ghostbusters: Answer the Call has a 74% Cricis score and 49% Audience rating.

In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

Starring Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfahrd, Mckenna grace, Paul Rudd, Bokeem Woodbine, Celeste O’Connor, and Logan Kim, plus original franchise stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts, Sony Pictures’ Ghostbusters: Afterlife is now playing in theaters worldwide/