All right, so I had the gigantic buildup (see the big pile of links here), let's look at it now that its run its course at the theaters, and on home video.
Ghostbusters:
Answer The Call (2016)
My journey with this flick...
Well, verdict is, I loved it, but the larger world didn't.
It made good money, but not enough to make its ridiculous budget back.
I was gonna wait for home video numbers, but the industry keeps those secret, unless someone knows someone, who knows someone, in order to leak it, and people don't seem to wanna be ninja spies for this flick.
So, all quiet on the western front there.
It's coming to basic cable pretty soon.
I think the channels that marathon the other two will have it for sure.
Those will be fun binges.
What about the merchandise?
Ehh, it's doing all right, but studios make a razor thin margin off it, so they'd need to move "Force Awakens", level of units to break even off that, and that ain't happening.
The Ghostheads just ain't enough.
Now, it's not an unrecoverable loss, because Sony had a good year with other movies, so they're okay.
They're not gonna die.
Don't worry.
For me, the flick has leveled off as an 8.
Still better than "Ghostbusters 2", (which I still love, and watched again fairly recently) not as good as "Ghostbusters", which was an accidental masterpiece that can't be cloned.
So, yet another movie I dig that the rest of the world is tepid to.
Like Ang Lee's "Hulk", and "Human Centipede 3", and "Howard The Duck".
Except probably not as unpopular as those last two.
I still think in the long game, it's gonna win, and prove the haters wrong.
I really do.
I'm stubbornly optimistic.
Like Dan Aykroyd was on the buildup to this one.
People will look back in 10 years, and go "what was the internet so bananas over? What were people smoking? This was a nice fun little movie!".
People have come around on "Ghostbusters 2", lately.
It still has its haters, but cable plays the shit out of it, so someone's watching.
And I bet dollars to donuts, in 20 years, they re-reboot, and the girls will pass the torch to the new team. It'll all come together. Speaking of...
Next up, we have the "Ghostbusters 101", comics that'll crossover the two casts.
So, that retroactively makes "Answer The Call", Ghostbusters 3 once and for all.
(Thus making the '09 Video Game 2.5)
That makes marathon-ng them feel smoother.
I'll be following this series issue by issue.
Dunno if I'll blog it like "Ash vs Evil Dead", episodes though.
We'll see....
And the comic crossover means "Tobin's Spirit Guide", and "Ghosts From Our Past", are in the same world, and thus make up one perfect Big Book Of Ghostbusters.
Which was my perception of it anyway.
Now it's just confirmed.
AND, all the people that whined about "I wanted a torch pass!", well, now it's happening, and all the people that whined "the trailer made it look like a sequel!", well, now it is.
We've got 1-2 years to wait for the animated movie, and "Ghostbusters: Ecto-Force", if they happen at all, so IDW is going to have to carry the torch for us GB fans for awhile.
And they're up to the task, they've said "GB 101", is just the beginning, that more is coming, and they have big plans for 2017-2018.
If nothing else, we've got that.
Million dollar question, is WILL those other movies/shows happen?
Ivan Reitman seems to think they will.
(It's Dan Aykroyd with Ghostbusters 3 all over again)
We'll see there too.
With the exception of the comics, the future of the GB franchise is up in the air, and top secret.
I'll keep it updated as we go.
Now, would I die if no other films come?
Nah, I can happily live off this trilogy for quite awhile.
I got by with two movies and the cartoons for 27 years.
BUT, for comparison, a world with "Force Awakens", and "Rogue One", is better than one without.
Can't lie about that.
I could have lived off the classic trilogy 'til the day I died, but it's pretty fucking cool not to have to now.
It'd be nice to have that for Ghostbusters.
That ain't bad to want.
Not one damned bit.
And with that, I think I'll sign off now.
Bye!
Monday, January 16, 2017
"Ghostbusters: Answer The Call". The Aftermath.
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5 comments:
The "nobody leaks home video sales" thing is pretty pathetic isn't it? In this day and age, THAT has to be kept a secret?
Is "Answer The Call" officially part of the title, or is it just going to end up being part of it later? Like the first X-Files movie is "Fight The Future" now?
The stupid Internet controversy is sadly going to be a large part of what the new "Ghostbusters" film will be known for. I didn't get around to reading about most of it until recently and God it's pathetic. Especially the attempts at trolling the black one. That shit's sickening. Fuckin' stupid ass Internet. Real "manly," you dickweeds.
BCS - I still have to see the first two.
Blade Runner 2049 - Since it's not being directed by Ridley, just produced, that's a huge plus to me.
"Forbidden Zone" - I wish I'd liked it more.
If you'd like to try liking stuff that few people will admit to liking, go listen to the weird New Wave albums Alice Cooper tried putting out between 1980 and 1983, before his alcoholism had to be treated and he came back with the silly Jason Voorhees song in 1986.
Oh, and finally, if you're still keeping track of the Coen Brothers, I'm not recommending "Hail, Caesar!" "Barton Fink" remains the only 40s/50s-set film they've done that really worked. This one's just...well there's a few cute jokes but hardly anything to write home about. Silly jokes about commies and old movies. A movie they probably made for themselves, I guess. "Burn After Reading" is still probably weaker.
FINALLY finally, "Freaks & Geeks" hasn't really held up that well. It's hilarious that James Franco and Seth Rogen became the big stars because the characters they play on the show are both worthless lumpen assholes.
"Answer The Call", is as official as it can get.
It shows up in the end credits, it's on the DVD/Blu-Ray box, it shows up on an Amazon search.
The silver lining to the internet controversy, is those assholes have made sure it'll be remembered.
It got addressed in talk shows, and mentioned in a South Park episode.
It's immortal now.
Talk about a backfiring of your goals.
You don't see anyone raising a national stink that the media reacts to over the Conan remake.
I saw "Hail Ceasar!", just to see Alden Ehrenreich perform to see if he'll be a good young Han Solo.
He will be.
He stole that movie.
Mediocre movie with a crappy ending overall, but Ehrenreich is a star.
I would definitely agree that Alden Ehrenreich stole that movie. He...doesn't look like Harrison Ford, I can say that much.
Oh crap, gotta catch up on SP too.
I predicted that Ghostbusters 2016 would have a longer shelf life than its worst and most odious critics. So, let's see how my prediction is holding up. Well, lookee here, Milo Y has lost his book deal, his Breitbart job, and CPAC has washed their hands and feet of him. While Ghostbusters has come to Starz, has a deal with the Turner stations for 2018, and there's a spinoff comic coming next month. I knew I'd be right, but I didn't know it would be proven so damned fast. Cool.
Okay! Home video numbers!
Since October, when GB:ATC came out, they've sold 1.5 million units.
In the last 15 years, the first two films together have sold 1.2 million.
So, Ghostbusters without any help from a new movie was winding down, and with the new movie, has had life injected back into it.
Science, bitches.
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