Several people have told me they went to see the remake on my recommendation this weekend and really enjoyed it. Nice to hear, but the movie seems to have under-performed at the box office. Before its release, estimates were that it would make $50 million, but it came in around $46 million, finishing second to “The Secret Life Of Pets.” But I think the new “Ghostbusters” will do well going forward based on word-of-mouth.
Ivan Reitman, who directed the original movie and gets an executive producer on the remake, did a short oral history on the making “Ghostbusters” for the Hollywood Reporter. Read it here.
The remake’s release has led to several stories in various media outlets about “real-life ghostbusters.” They’re all bullshit. Yes, there are businesses that promise to get rid of ghosts in your house, but they’re all con artists because there is no such thing as a ghost. But when you have some uninformed local TV reporter go out and follow them around, they’re easily fooled — just like anyone who watches the far-too-many ghost-hunter shows prevalent on some cable channels — and no skeptical voice is ever included because it would kill the “fun” of believing in nonsense. That’s how garbage information proliferates.