Shrugging nation concedes it might as well see Ghostbusters this weekend

Shrug it from the rooftops, people; let out your most exultant and victorious “Eh, why not?”s: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is set to win the weekend box office, “defeating” several movies that have been in theaters for nearly a month at this point, and a Sydney Sweeney nunsploitation movie that not even big “Nuns ‘n Devils” fans seem to like all that much. Per Deadline, the film—directed by Gil Kenan, working from a script he co-wrote with Ghostbusters designated heir Jason Reitman—is expected to bring in between $42-$44 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend. Which is fine! It’s fine.

And while we might be inclined to make a little fun of Ghostbusters: Paul Rudd Is Cold! for seeming extremely content to coast largely on whatever base animal reactions people still have to seeing Dan Aykroyd’s face hovering above a brown jumpsuit at this point, the film’s lukewarm victory is also just a marker for what’s been a very sleepy 2024 movie season overall. Sure, Dune: Part Two opened to $82 million, and Kung Fu Panda 4 to $58 million, but those are the high-water marks. Compare this weekend to exactly a year ago, and you’ll find Finn Wolfhard, Grace McKenna, and Slimer getting their butts kicked by John Wick: Chapter 4, which nearly doubled what they’re expected to take in this weekend. (Note: We would watch a movie where John Wick kills Slimer.)

Whatever this sleepy season says about current movie-going tastes, it’s probably not “Humanity has an inexhaustible demand for family-friendly Ghostbusters movies where Paul Rudd learns how to be your step-dad”; we’ll have to see if people respond more powerfully to big honking monsters instead, as Godzilla x Kong: This Time They’re Friends Now opens in theaters next week.