Summary
- Ghostbusters fans were less than thrilled with Paul Feig's 2016 reboot.
- The female-led cast seems to have been the main issue.
- Despite making a cameo in the film, Ernie Hudson didn't really like it.
- Against all odds, Ghostbusters (2016) isn't the worst movie in the franchise.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire premiered just a few days ago, but it's already proven to be a hit, grossing a whopping $61 million over its opening weekend. Among other things, this just goes to show that the paranormal franchise is still immensely popular with audiences.
When it debuted four decades ago, Ghostbusters was an instant success, earning $295 million against a $30 million budget. Naturally, the film, which centered on three Columbia University professors-turned-ghostbusters, their fourth member Winston, and their assistant Janine, quickly got a sequel. Almost 30 years later, in 2016, Ghostbusters also got a female-led reboot, but unlike Frozen Empire, it didn't really catch on with fans. There were many reasons for this, but here's the main one, according to Ernie Hudson, who has portrayed Winston Zeddemore in the original film series since 1984.
If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It
Paul Feig's 2016 Ghostbusters faced a lot of criticism even before its release. The female-led cast, which included SNL's Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones alongside Melissa McCarthy, caused quite a stir among fans of the original film franchise, many of whom slammed the reboot for desecrating the beloved story.
Ernie Hudson also made a brief cameo appearance in the movie, though not in his iconic role. The actor played the uncle of Leslie Jones' character Patty. And while he enjoyed working with the director, he seems to agree that a franchise as beloved as Ghostbuster didn't need a reboot.
'I'm a fan of Paul Feig so I have nothing negative about him to say. Other than: I don't quite understand why you do a reboot, you know what I mean? Just make another movie,' Ernie Hundson shared in a recent interview. 'Fans were really invested in the story and the characters and I think it was disappointing. I enjoyed the movie but I think it wasn't what fans were hoping for.'
Ultimately, while Feig's Ghostbusters wasn't particularly successful money-wise, it still did quite well at the box office, grossing $229 million against a budget of $144 million.
Ghostbusters (2016)'s Legacy
Interestingly, Paul Feig's Ghostbusters is not currently the lowest-rated film in the series. The first installment from 1984 is still king with an IMDb score of 7.8. Meanwhile, the second film only has a 6.6. Frozen Empire isn't very popular either, with a 6.6. And Feig's Ghostbusters has a score of 6.8. So, objectively speaking, even though it wasn't well-received by audiences, it's not really that terrible.
So what's the problem? Well, it seems that Ghostbusters fans weren't ready for a change as big as a gender-swapped reboot.
Source: The Independent.