If you were anywhere near the internet yesterday, you know that social media was a bit of a shitshow as the review embargo broke on “Ghostbusters” (here’s ours). Conspiracy theories from completely clueless corners of the web suggested that anyone who posted a positive review was part of some secret cabal of critics who were paid off by Sony (if studios are paying people for positive press, we’re owed some serious backpay). It’s all been exhausting and silly by this point, but final measure of success will have little to do with what critics or sensitive fanboys have to say: it will come down to how many buy tickets on Friday. And producer Amy Pascal is pretty confident Paul Feig‘s reboot will spur what everyone at the studio wants — a new franchise.
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“I have waited for this moment for a year!” she told THR at the premiere of the film over the weekend. “It’s going to be endless. People are going to love this movie so much that they’re going to demand more and more.”
As for all the nonsense and “controversy” around the movie, Sony head Tom Rothman sees it all as beneficial in the end — basically, any press is good press, and if people are talking about your movie it can’t hurt.
“All that stuff has been great. It’s been great for the movie,” he stated. “The movie is a comedy, an entertaining comedy, but it is also now a real important part of the social conversation and you don’t usually get to do both of those things.”
“Ghostbusters” opens on Friday. Does a new franchise await? The post-credits tease for the movie certainly thinks so, but we’ll see what moviegoers have to say.