Ghostbusters (2016)
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A group of eccentric women start a ghost-catching business after a paranormal encounter.
The story
Particle physicists and estranged friends Abby Yates and Erin Gilbert co-authored a book on paranormal investigations. After a series of events, Erin and Abby, along with engineering physicist Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann, investigate a haunting at the Aldridge Mansion. Following a viral incident, Erin joins Abby and Holtz to form a ghost-catching business. They establish a headquarters, hire a receptionist, and begin offering their services to the public. When a local woman encounters a ghost in a subway terminal, the team is called to intervene, leading them to use specialized equipment to capture and contain supernatural entities.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a haunting at the Aldridge Mansion, Erin Gilbert joins Abby Yates and Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann to form a ghost-catching business. They establish a headquarters and hire Kevin Beckman. They are contacted by Patty Tolan regarding a ghost in a subway terminal. Meanwhile, a mad scientist named Rowan North is creating a dimensional vortex. The team becomes local sensations but faces opposition from the city's leadership. They discover Rowan's plan to cause an apocalypse at the Mercado Hotel. After Rowan's suicide, he returns as a deity-like ghost, possessing Abby and then Kevin. He opens a portal and releases a horde of ghosts. The team fights through the army to reach the portal. As Rowan takes on a kaiju-sized form, the team uses a nuclear reactor to close the portal, forcing him back. The film ends with the team moving to a new headquarters while the mayor continues to publicly denounce them while privately funding them.
- Original title
- Ghostbusters: Answer the Call
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paul Feig
- Writers
- Katie Dippold · writer; Paul Feig · writer
- Cast and characters
- Melissa McCarthy · Doctor Abigail L. "Abby" Yates; Kristen Wiig · Doctor Erin Gilbert; Leslie Jones · Patricia "Patty" Tolan; Kate McKinnon · Doctor Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann; Chris Hemsworth · Kevin Beckman; Neil Casey · Rowan North; Andy Garcia · Mayor Marth Bradley; Bill Murray · Doctor Martin Heiss
- Genres
- supernatural comedy; action comedy; fantasy comedy; buddy comedy
- Themes
- friendship; science vs. supernatural
- Tone and mood
- comedy; action
- Premise and plot tags
- reboot; female-led; supernatural; science fiction
- Source material / true-story basis
- Ghostbusters franchise
- Franchise connections
- Ghostbusters
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews and was considered a box-office bomb, sparking significant social media controversy regarding its female-led cast.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 60 · scale: 100 · review count: 52; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 57% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film was a box-office bomb, losing over $70 million.; The trailer became the most disliked film trailer on YouTube in May 2016.; The film features a variety of cameos from the original cast.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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