‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ is No. 1 with $45.2M, Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Immaculate’ lands in fourth
NEW York—ghost-busting is still a good business. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire collected $45.2 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates on Sunday, handing Sony Pictures the studio’s first No. 1 film since last summer.
The opening weekend for Frozen Empire, in 4,345 theaters, was nearly exactly the same as the $44 million launch for Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021. Afterlife rebooted the franchise with a sequel built around the descendants (Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace) of Harold Ramis’ Egon Spengler, along with Paul Rudd’s seismologist Gary Grooberson.
Neither film has been a hit with critics, but audiences have been more receptive. Frozen Empire garnered a “B+” Cinemascore from moviegoers, a tick down from the “A-” score for Afterlife. Frozen Empire isn’t assured of profitability, but it will hope for sustained business over spring break.
Ghostbusters films tend to make a low impact internationally. In 25 overseas markets, Frozen Empire added $16.4 million.
The latest Ghostbusters cost about $100 million to make. After Jason Reitman took over directing duties from his father, Ivan Reitman, to helm Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Frozen Empire is directed by Gil Kenan, cowriter of Afterlife.
Those two sequels took Ghostbusters in a more family-oriented, albeit PG-13 rated, direction, with original cast members Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray returning in supporting roles. After the 2016 female-led Ghostbusters prompted a backlash, Sony rebooted the franchise.
The weekend’s other new wide release was
Immaculate, the horror film starring Sydney Sweeney as an American nun at a remote Italian convent. The film, released by Neon following a premiere at SXSW, debuted with $5.4 million on 2,354 screens.
Sweeney’s ascending star power helped make Anyone But You one of the most successful rom-coms in years. But Immaculate, an independent production that cost less than $10 million make, isn’t getting the same bounce.
“The movie features the popular Sydney Sweeney, but horror movies are not cast-driven,” wrote David A. Gross for the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “They’re driven by the hook: the evil doll, the wicked smile, the invisible or silent presence, the found footage, the possessed child. That’s what terrifies the horror crowd. The hook is not completely clear here.”
The No. 2 spot went to Dune: Part Two, which continues to hold well. The Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi sequel starring Timothée Chalamet added $17.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing the Warner Bros. release’s domestic total to $233.4 million. Overseas sales are just as strong, adding up to a $574.4 million worldwide haul.
After two weeks atop the box office, Universal’s Kung Fu Panda 4 slid to third place with $16.8 million over its third weekend. The well-performing Dreamworks animated sequel is up to $133.2 million domestic. It debuted with $25.7 million in China, where the movies have historically been popular. When the 2008 Kung Fu Panda was released, its success partly inspired China to expand its own film production.
Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to comscore.
1. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, $45.2 million
2. Dune: Part Two, $17.6 million
3. Kung Fu Panda 4, $16.8 million
4. Immaculate, $5.4 million
5. Arthur the King, $4.4 million
6. Late Night With the Devil, $2.8 million
7. Imaginary, $2.8 million
8. Love Lies Bleeding, $1.6 million
9. Cabrini, $1.4 million
10. Bob Marley: One Love, $1.1 million.