Frozen Empire’s Rotten Tomatoes & Box Office Are A Harsh Reality Check For The Ghostbusters Franchise

Since 1984, the Ghostbusters franchise has been iconic, and a staple of the sci-fi and comedy genres, however its fifth installment, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, has proven through its disappointing box office that the film series may not be as notable as it seems. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is part of Ghostbusters’ new era, which merges members of the original cast with new main characters including McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, and Paul Rudd. In this film, the Spengler family returns to New York City to carry on the Ghostbusters legacy, only to hit roadblocks like the bitter mayor and an ancient spirit.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a part of a well-known franchise, but that does not mean it is automatically going to make a splash at the box office. In fact, there are many risks attached to it because of its franchise ties. Frozen Empire may bring in Ghostbusters fans, however if the movie does not maintain the expected ambiance of a Ghostbusters film, audiences will leave disappointed. This is even more probable now that the original cast has taken a backseat for new stars. All in all, Frozen Empire’s franchise cannot save it, and in this case, it did not.

Frozen Empire’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is A Reminder There’s Only 1 Great Ghostbusters Movie

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire earned a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes

One great indicator for how Frozen Empire cannot rely on its franchise ties for success is its Rotten Tomatoes score. Despite being part of a beloved film series, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire earned a mere 44% critics’ score on the site. And Frozen Empire isn’t the first of every Ghostbusters movie to disappoint in the critics department. Though the original 1984 Ghostbusters earned a 95%, the next best score is a major step down. 2016’s female-led Ghostbusters is Certified Fresh, but at a 74%. Furthermore, the other two films in the series boast disappointingly average scores: 55% and 64%.

Ultimately, what these scores say about the Ghostbusters franchise is that, after the first movie, the consequent sequels have never matched up in quality or success. Although Ghostbsuters: Frozen Empire is the fifth installment in the series, that doesn’t necessarily mean that every sequel before it has been outstanding or earned its place in the franchise. In fact, Ghostbusters’ first sequel, Ghostbusters II, was a fairly disappointing outing, and should have been a warning.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s Box Office Confirms The Franchise Isn’t THAT Big

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire earned $108 million at the box office

Aside from critical reactions, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s box office also has something to say about the franchise as a whole. On a budget of $100 million, Frozen Empire has thus far earned $108.5 million worldwide. This is not even close to breaking even with its budget, making Frozen Empire something of a flop at the box office. And though Frozen Empire could certainly pick up in the coming weeks, its performance brings to light an ongoing trend with the Ghostbusters films. Their box offices, regardless of year and movie, almost always rest at $200 million.

All four previous Ghostbusters movies have box offices that stopped at or around $200 million. Although 1984’s Ghostbusters neared $300, the concept is the same. No matter the year, the movie, or the budget, Ghostbusters has always made the same amount of money, and though it is a fine amount, is shows that the franchise is not moving up in any sense. This fact becomes dangerous when the new installments, like Frozen Empire, start have bigger budgets. In this way, Ghostbusters will no longer gross nearly as much as when its budget was only $25 to $30 million.

Ghostbusters 2016 Beating Frozen Empire Isn’t Great For The Franchise

Afterlife and Frozen Empire were supposed to revive Ghostbusters

Another notable aspect of Frozen Empire’s disappointing performance is that it did worse than 2016’s Ghostbusters, which is a pretty bad sign for the franchise. Back in 2016, a female-led Ghostbusters was made with the intention of reviving the beloved 1980s franchise. Although 2016’s Ghostbusters actually performed quite well both with critics and at the box office, its reputation was completely shot. Audiences quickly and thoroughly ridiculed the movie, and barely gave it a chance to shine. Therefore, it succeeded, but did not revamp the franchise as intended. Now, Frozen Empire has neither succeeded nor revamped the franchise.

This is ultimately the big problem. Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire were supposed to be a second chance at revitalizing the Ghostbusters franchise after the 2016 attempt flopped. It was designed to be exactly what audiences were looking for from the franchise. However, it has not performed nearly as well as executives likely hoped. And though it may not face the same ridicule as 2016’s underrated Ghostbusters, at least that film had a strong box office and critical response. These new era movies are simply going under the radar, making them even more disappointing.

What’s The Future Of Ghostbusters?

Should Ghostbusters continue?

As of now, there is no word on whether the Ghostbusters franchise will continue. It is likely too soon to tell at this point. However, in February 2024, Frozen Empire screenwriter Gil Kenan noted that there were still plenty of ideas floating around for new Ghostbusters movies. In this way, it seems like there is still interest in keeping the series going, at least from the creative side. However, whether the franchise continues will likely rely on executives and whether they think another attempt is worth it.

If anything, the better question is, should Ghostbusters continue? The movies are far from being massive flops, but what they add to the franchise is questionable. If none of the sequels can rise to the occasion, then it seems pointless to continue trying. There is plenty of good coming out of the new Ghostbusters era, but it may not be enough to make a $100 million movie worth making.

If Ghostbusters does continue, it would be wise to keep the new cast attached to the project. While bringing back the original Ghostbusters in the new movies is fun, the new Ghostbusters cast offer refreshing performances that, at the very least, maintain the humor of the original. Ghostbusters’ new era may not be the incredible success that the 1984 movie was, but there is certainly potential there. If Ghostbusters 6 can find the magic ingredient that brings the Ghostbusters franchise back to its former glory after Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, then maybe there is still hope yet for the series.