‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Calls Up a $42 Million Box Office Launch

Sony/Columbia’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is opening similar to its predecessor “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” earning $16 million on its first day at the box office from 4,345 theaters as it is projected for a $42 million launch.

By comparison, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” opened to $44 million in November 2021 amidst the rise of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, which hampered the box office runs of many films save for the massive Marvel hit “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Depending on how Saturday matinees shake out, “Frozen Empire” could push its estimates up to match that $44 million figure, but it also carries a higher production budget of $100 million compared to $75 million for “Afterlife.”

Audience reception also hasn’t been as strong as “Frozen Empire” has received Rotten Tomatoes scores of 43% critics and 85% audience to go with a B+ on CinemaScore. By comparison, “Afterlife” earned RT scores of 64% critics and 94% audience to go with an A- on CinemaScore. With “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” hitting theaters next weekend, that weaker word-of-mouth could make it more difficult for “Frozen Empire” to get the legs it needs even with the upcoming Easter holiday usually bringing higher interest in moviegoing.

Also opening this weekend is Neon’s horror film “Immaculate” starring Sydney Sweeney, which is meeting box office projections with a $5 million opening from 2,354 locations. The film was generally well received by critics with a 73% Rotten Tomatoes score, but audiences weren’t as enthused and gave it a C on CinemaScore.