The latest installment in Sony's supernatural comedy series, 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,' has made a strong debut at the domestic box office, raking in $45.2 million in its opening weekend across 4,345 theaters in North America. This figure slightly exceeded initial expectations, with a surge in ticket sales on Sunday pushing it past the $42 million mark. However, the movie's performance is only marginally ahead of its 2021 predecessor, 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife,' indicating that the franchise may be struggling to attract new audiences beyond its core fan base.
'Frozen Empire' comes with a hefty production budget of $100 million, not including marketing expenses, making it imperative for the film to significantly outperform 'Afterlife' to justify its costs. With cinema operators typically retaining around 50% of revenues, the movie faces a challenging road ahead, especially with stiff competition from upcoming releases like 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.'
Critics and audiences have offered mixed reviews for 'Frozen Empire,' with a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 'B+' CinemaScore. The film, a sequel to 'Afterlife' and the original 1980s classic, sees a blend of franchise veterans and new recruits teaming up to prevent an apocalyptic event that could trigger a second Ice Age.
In contrast, 'Immaculate,' a religious horror film starring Sydney Sweeney, opened in fourth place with $5 million. The movie, backed by Neon, follows Sweeney's character as she uncovers dark secrets in a remote Italian convent. While reviews have been lukewarm, horror films often rely more on their premise than star power, as noted by industry experts.
Meanwhile, 'Dune: Part Two' maintained its strong performance in the No. 2 spot, grossing $17.5 million in its third week and crossing the $500 million mark globally. 'Kung Fu Panda 4' and 'Arthur the King' rounded out the top five, with the former experiencing a modest decline in ticket sales and the latter recouping its modest budget despite lackluster earnings.
