Ghostbusters could be around for a long time.
Frozen Empire, the latest entry in the long-running franchise that kicked off in 1984, just blasted its way to a $45.2 million domestic box office opening following a $16M Friday and a $16.8M Saturday, per Deadline. The number is right below 2016’s non-canonical Ghostbusters starring Kirsten Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon, making Frozen Empire the second-highest opener for the series, not adjusted for inflation. These numbers also propel the Ghostbusters franchise past the $1 billion mark.
Worldwide, the Gil Kenan-directed picture starring Paul Rudd, McKenna Grace, Carrie Coon, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray collected $16.4M from 25 markets, bringing its global opening to $61.6M. Imax accounted for $1.8M of the worldwide gross.
Audiences awarded the ghost-infested flick a B+ and an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, which doesn’t bode well for Frozen Empire’s long-term prospects, especially with Godzilla x Kong lurking. Still, the opening should be enough to convince Sony that ghost-busting is alive and well but perhaps in dire need of a more sure-footed direction.
Also opening was the supernatural thriller Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney, everyone’s favorite star of the moment. The modest $10M NEON production opened with a solid $5.36M from 2,354 screens.
Likewise, IFC’s The Late Night with the Devil produced the biggest opening for the studio, raking in $2.83M at 1,034 locations.
All told, the cumulative box office was up a whopping 21% compared to last year when the mighty John Wick: Chapter 4 shot its way into the books.
As stated, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will be released this week. In its debut, the film is projected to sell $45M worth of tickets, making for a potentially exciting box office battle.
Box Office Results: Domestic Top 10
1.) Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) 4,345 theaters, Fri $16M Sat $16.8M Sun $12.3M 3-day $45.2M/Wk 1
2.) Dune: Part Two (Leg/WB) 3,437 theaters (-410), Fri $4.5M (-44%) Sat $7.7M Sun $5.4M, 3-day $17.6M (-38%)/Total $233.3M/Wk 4
3.) Kung Fu Panda 4 (Uni/DWA) 3,805 (-262) theaters, Fri $4M (-54%) Sat $7.6M Sun $5.1M, 3-day $16.8M (-44%), Total $133.2M/Wk 3
4.) Immaculate (NEON) 2,354 theaters, Fri $2M, Sat $2M Sun $1.3M 3-day $5.36M/Wk 1
5.)Arthur the King (LG) 3,003 theaters, Fri $1.1M (-61%) Sat $1.9M Sun $1.2M 3-day $4.36M (-43%), Total $14.6M/Wk 2
6.) Late Night With the Devil (IFC),1034 theaters Fri $1.1M Sat $1M Sun $733K 3-day $2.833M/Wk 1
7.) Imaginary (LG) 2,513 theaters (-605), Fri $760K Sat $1.27M Sun $765K 3-day$2.8M (-49%), Total $23.6M /Wk 3
8.) Love Lies Bleeding (A24) 1,828 theaters (+466) Fri $484K Sat $630K Sun $472K, 3-day $1.58M (-37%), Total $5.68M/Wk 3
9.) Cabrini (Angel) 1,765 (-1,085) theaters, Fri $410K Sat $576K $432K 3-day $1.4M (-50%) Total $16.1M/Wk 3
10.) Bob Marley: One Love (Par) 1,266 theaters (-1066) Fri $295K (-57%), Sat $490K, Sun $315K 3-day $1.03M (-40%), Total $95.3M/Wk 6
