‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Has a Lower Rotten Tomatoes Score Than the 2016 Reboot
Ghostbusters: Afterlife already has a lower Rotten Tomatoes score than Paul Feig’s 2016 reboot. Leading up to its release this weekend, the newest installment in the franchise has been garnering tepid reviews from critics, currently sitting at 66 percent on the aggregate review site. Directed by Jason Reitman — whose father, Ivan, directed the original — Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a direct sequel to the ’80s films, introducing a whole new team of ghostbusting protagonists.
Feig’s all-female Ghostbusters reboot faced extremely mixed reception from audiences along with some critics. Some vocal old school fans of the franchise didn’t like the new direction the movie took. Still, it features strong performances from Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, landing a rating of 74 percent on Rotten Tomatoes — and it’s Certified Fresh. A box office flop, Ghostbusters’ underwhelming ticket sales caused Columbia to switch up their efforts to return to the original series’ continuity with Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Many critics have observed that Ghostbusters: Afterlife is too heavily reliant on its past glory to create anything memorable. The new cast includes Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon, and Paul Rudd. They're joined by franchise alumni Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson, in an attempt to bring older and younger audiences together for a full-on nostalgia trip. Perhaps it will work — we have yet to see where Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score will land, or how the film will perform at the box office.
We'll find out soon enough, since Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters this Friday, November 19. You can read our full review of the movie here.