Box office: Ghostbusters blows away the competition, and exceeds a billion dollars

Cold snap at the American box office, with the release of the film this weekend Ghostbusters: The Ice Threat. The new opus of the spectral saga, which arrives in France on April 10, 2024, does (a little) better than Sony’s estimates and takes first place in the ranking. We take stock.

A new billionaire franchise

With $45.2 million earned on 4,345 North American screens, Ghostbusters: The Ice Threat marks a solid start and even exceeds the studio’s expectations (42 million). For comparison, this first weekend is similar to that of the two previous films in the franchise, released in 2016 and 2021. This start above all allows the franchise Ghostbusters to officially exceed a billion dollars in five installments.

The first film was a real phenomenon when it was released in 1984, grossing $295 million worldwide. Five years later, its sequel confirmed the public’s enthusiasm and grossed more than 215 million. The franchise then went into a 27-year slumber to resurface with a first female and expensive reboot (144 million budget) which only grossed 229 million greenbacks worldwide. In 2021, Ghostbusters: Legacy and its rejuvenated cast had totaled $203 million, and opened a new narrative arc.

The nice American start of the threat of ice should however be put into perspective with a rather lethargic international market. Even if the film will arrive late in several big markets (Japan, France, India), the 16.4 million gleaned outside the United States are far from exciting. They also confirm that the franchise is exporting slowly.

Ghostbusters has always been a saga more American than international, and the success of the film will depend above all on its result in this territory. But at this rate, the threat of ice can hope to end his career between 120 and 140 million in the United States. Not enough to take the franchise a step further, much to the chagrin of Sony.

In the rest of the box office, Dune: part two holds on firmly to second place in the ranking with $17.6 million. Denis Villeneuve’s blockbuster reached 574 million worldwide, and if the billion remains difficult to reach, the film will undoubtedly end its career beyond 800 million.

For his part, Kung Fu Panda 4 marks time after two weekends at the top of the ranking, and moves to third position with 16.7 million dollars. The animated film has sold 133 million on American soil, for a worldwide total of 268 million.

Finally, it should be noted the (relatively) nice score of Immaculate with Sydney Sweeney. Fourth in the ranking with $5.3 million earned, the horror film marks a record launch for the modest distribution company Neon, more accustomed to prestigious (but less popular) productions like the Palme d’Or-winning opuses that are Anatomy of a fall, Parasite Or Without Filter. A modest score, but which should easily reimburse the film’s budget, estimated at less than 10 million.

US box office March 22-24, 2024 (estimates)