The Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection will now include the 2016 Ghostbusters after previously being excluded, following criticism from director Paul Feig. Feig, having directed comedies such as Spy and Bridesmaids, helmed the 2016 female-led reboot of the original Ghostbusters from 1984. The franchise was later rebooted a second time with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which was released earlier this year.
Ghostbusters follows four women who start a ghosthunting business in New York, ultimately having to save the city in the process. The film became notorious for receiving internet backlash before its release due to its female leads, leading to review bombing and death threats sent to the cast. The film stands as an example of misogyny infecting pop culture, for the movie was already deemed a failure before it could come out. Feig at one point Ghostbusters reboot, but later changed his mind after the difficult process of producing the first one.
The announcement is reported by CBR.com, coming days after Feig's criticism of the Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection for not including his film, which was set to include the first two films, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and hours of bonus and behind the scenes footage. The film will be included in a digital for fans who purchase the physical and digital editions of the collection. The collection is set to be released in February 2022.
At the time of release, Ghostbusters grossed $229 million at the box office but was considered a loss by the studio due to the high budget and cost of marketing. Instead of a sequel, this led to the greenlight of which would ultimately receive weaker reviews and make less money than 2016's Ghostbusters. Both films featured short appearances from stars of the original Ghostbusters, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson.
Both Ghostbusters 2016 and Ghostbusters: Afterlife share the distinction of trying to recapture the glory days of an old film in an ongoing parade of nostalgia-fueled reboots that make up a fair percentage of the mainstream movies of today. Except, Ghostbusters was the only one of the two met with controversy, stemming from misogyny and hatred that's allowed to go unanswered in the anonymity of the internet. Despite 2016's Ghostbusters having its fans, any legacy it has will be dominated by circumstances that have nothing to do with the movie itself, which is ultimately a shame for people like Feig who put so much work into it.
Source: CBR.com
