The black sheep in the Ghostbusters franchise, Paul Feig’s 2016 reboot, continues to get no love. Sony isn’t re-releasing it on February 1, when it is releasing the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD versions of the original 1984 Ghostbusters, 1989’s Ghostbusters II, Jason Reitman’s recent Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which serves as a direct sequel to the originals, and the eight-disc Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection boxed set.
Feig’s 2016 reboot was set in a separate continuity and didn’t reference the events of the originals. It also wasn’t very well-received making only $229.1 million on a budget of $114 million.
Even so, Feig wants to know why it’s being omitted from the Ultimate Collection boxed set. In response to Sony’s announcement of the set on Twitter, Feig wrote:
“Um … @SonyPictures , I know this must be a mistake. We do have a lot of fans and Bill, Dan and Ernie were in it and it won the Kids Choice Award for Best Feature Film the year it came out. So, I guess this was just an oversight?”
He added the hashtag “#weareallghostbusters.”
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call Was Left Unanswered
There is really no reason for Sony to rerelease Feig’s Ghostbusters (aka Ghostbusters Answer the Call) by itself as it just came out five years ago and is already on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD. But it would have been easy to include it in the set since it is being touted as the “Ultimate Collection.”
This reboot starred Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth and wasn’t connected to the first movies. As Feig mentioned, original cast members Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts appeared in cameos. Aykroyd also served as an executive producer.
Before the film’s release, it stirred up controversy with many balking at the idea of an all-female team of Ghostbusters. (Although let’s be honest, a lot of that was misogyny.) Others didn’t like the fact that this film existed in its own continuity and wasn’t a direct continuation of the original storylines. The trailer for the movie received more dislikes than likes on its first day of release. Its Rotten Tomatoes score is a pretty decent 79% although its audience score is 49%.
What do you think? Does Feig’s Ghostbusters deserve to be included in the “Ultimate Collection” boxed set? Or does the fact that this exists in its own continuity mean that it should be kept separate?
You can pick up Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and the Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection on February 1.
