“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” – star
Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace, and Finn Wolfhard — took in about $44 million at the North American box office this weekend. It was a solid start to the comedy and exceeded expectations, leading the film to gross nearly $30 million.
The opening is good news for Sony, which is trying to end 2021 on a hot streak. The studio succeeded in October thanks to “
Venom: Let There Be Carnage“- was one of the most successful films of the year – and followed it up in November with” Afterlife. ”
Sony could also have its biggest blockbuster of 2021 next month with “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at
Common point (POINT), told CNN Business.
“Afterlife” made a strong opening mark which makes sense given that the original film in the series was a phenomenon favorite, earning $227 million domestically in 1984. (This is more than 600 today. million dollars when calculating inflation).
Sony sold “Afterlife” with
a lot of nostalgia from that movie including bringing back celebrities and icons. That strategy seems to have worked well for the studio this weekend.
“Afterlife” was also able to find an audience despite being hampered by the ongoing pandemic and lackluster reviews. The film drew mixed reviews, resulting in a 62% score on the review site Rotten Tomatoes.
As for the cinemas, the opening rate for “Afterlife” also kept the momentum from October, which is
strongest month at the box office so far this year.
Exhibitors are hoping audiences keep coming back when the historically lucrative holiday season begins next week. Thanksgiving weekend will feature Disney Animation’s “Encanto” and 20th Century Studios’ “House of Gucci.”
