Part 2/10:
Ghostbusters: Afterlife entered theaters into a landscape heavily impacted by the pandemic, with limited marketing and a cautious approach from Sony. Initially, projections estimated a modest $27-28 million domestically. Instead, it overperformed significantly, earning approximately $44 million in its opening weekend in the United States alone, with worldwide grosses approaching those figures despite ongoing pandemic constraints.
In contrast, Ghostbusters (2016) debuted with $46 million during a typical summer release. Notably, this was in an era with full-scale blockbuster marketing campaigns, an inflated budget, and no pandemic interference—not to mention a heavily promoted campaign with trailers that aired during high-visibility events like the Super Bowl.