Ghostbusters had a hell of a lot to prove when the reboot finally hit theaters last month. Critics immediately branded the all-girl remake as straight garbage, the film’s trailer towered high on the list of YouTube’s most hated videos ever, and even Melissa McCarthy blasted the studio’s promotional tactics.
And while Sony originally appeared optimistic for a ghost-filled sequel, courtesy of its $46 million domestic box office intake outshining the shroud of negativity and Slimer vomit, it appears that the women of Paul Feig’s reboot will be hanging up their proton packs for good.
According to THR, the 2016 film is losing way more than its taking in (over $70 million, to be exact), with serious doubts that the project will get close to doubling its heavily weighted $144 million budget.
“We’re very proud of the bold movie Paul Feig made, which critics and audiences loved,” a studio rep tells THR. “It has enlivened a 30-year-old brand and put it into the modern zeitgeist. As a result, we have many ideas in the works to further exploit the Ghostbusters universe.”
Unfortunately, all of those ideas are of the animated variety. While Sony won’t confirm or deny any future Ghostbusters sequels, they casually mentioned an active pursuit of something in the cartoon realm, as well as Ghostbusters: Ecto Force, an animated series targeted for the small screen in 2018.
With the franchise put on hold, let’s hope the ensemble cast of talented ladies have other projects up their sleeves. We already know Leslie Jones found her next career opportunity.