Paul Feig‘s anniversary tribute to 2016’s Ghostbusters: Answer the Call sparked a wave of mixed reactions on social media. The all-female Ghostbusters reboot, starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, hit theaters eight years ago. Feig, who directed the film, marked the occasion by sharing a post on X (previously Twitter) from Ghostbusters News that wished the film’s cast, crew, and fans a happy anniversary. Feig’s message read: “8 years? Good lord. Thanks to all the fans and supporters of this film. Still incredibly proud of it. We are all Ghostbusters.” Feig’s post triggered a variety of responses from fans who loved the film, others who hated it, and some who didn’t even know it existed.
Starting with the positive: many X users sang the film’s praises, making special note of the hilarious leading cast. There was also some love for Chris Hemsworth’s performance as Kevin, the receptionist at the Ghostbusters’ headquarters.
Ghostbusters 2016 Rubbed a Lot of People Up the Wrong Way
Despite a talented filmmaker in Feig and a cast praised for their comedic chemistry, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call faced an uphill battle. The original Ghostbusters holds a special place in fans’ hearts, making it a difficult act to follow. While the 2016 reboot wasn’t a critical flop by any means (it currently holds a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes), it couldn’t quite capture the magic of the Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson classic for the original film’s passionate fans.
The Ivan Reitman-directed 1984 horror comedy holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and earned a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects and two Academy Award nominations.
The decision to cast female leads in a film franchise was met with some online hate when the film premiered, and X user @Coolio_Wolfus hasn’t let that go, labeling the film “woke garbage.”
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When speaking of its box office numbers, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call didn’t achieve what it needed to make it a success. The film grossed $229.1 million worldwide at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). While it had a production budget of $144 million, this didn’t include marketing expenses, so the studio reportedly needed to make at least $300 million for Feig’s reboot. The film’s box office numbers, coupled with a lackluster audience response, led to some X users questioning if the film even had fans.
As is with any social media thread these days, there was a scattering of political commentary (not even Ghostbusters is safe), and some other interesting “takeaways.” For example, user @DoctorWhat1983 questioned the Ghostbusters‘ film franchise’s possible connection to demons traveling through our televisions:
Kudos to user @KristofferGair, who asks the very important question, “You know, with all the multiverse stories going on, is it really out of the realm of possibilities of having the original cast and this cast in the same movie?”
If Feig read any of the responses to his post, we hope it’s that one: we’d love to see McCarthy and Murray reunite after their collaboration on St. Vincent.
Paul Feig’s
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call
is available on AMC+.