Aug. 29 (UPI) — 2019 marks the 35th anniversary of the comedy classic “Ghostbusters,” which opened in the summer of 1984. Fathom Events and Sony Pictures is bringing “Ghostbusters” back to theaters in October and tickets are now on sale.
Sunday, Oct. 6 and Thursday, Oct. 10 will have showings of the original “Ghostbusters” in theaters nationwide. Attendees of “Ghostbusters” this year will also get to see a new introduction from cast members and newly uncovered alternate takes from some of the film’s classic scenes.
When released June 8, 1984, “Ghostbusters” became an instant pop culture phenomenon. Ray Parker, Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” theme song dominated the charts and radio airplay. Catchphrases like, “Who you gonna call?” and “He slimed me” entered the vernacular.
Written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson joined Ramis and Aykroyd as professional supernatural exterminators. Sigourney Weaver played Dana Barrett, a client whom Murray’s character, Peter Venkman, romanced. Rick Moranis co-starred as Barrett’s neighbor, Annie Potts’ as the Ghostbusters’ secretary and William Atherton as evil EPA agent Walter Peck. Ivan Reitman directed the film.
An animated series, “The Real Ghostbusters,” became a weekday afternoon hit with children from 1986 – 1991. A movie sequel, “Ghostbusters II,” followed in 1989, though not as popular as the original and maligned by critics, including Murray himself.
Aykroyd’s attempts to generate a third Ghostbusters film with the original cast stalled for decades, due in large part to Murray’s resistance to the idea. A 2009 video game did reunite the original cast, except for Moranis. Ramis’s death in 2014 seemed to end talks of a sequel with original cast members.
With a live-action sequel stalled, Sony produced a remake in 2016. The Paul Feig directed film starred Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon as new characters discovering ghosts and forming a ghost busting business. Murray, Aykroyd, Hudson and Weaver made cameo appearances as new characters. Eagle-eyed viewers could spot a bust of Ramis in the background too.
Though a hit, “Ghostbusters 2016” did not make enough money for Sony to greenlight a sequel, attributing partial blame to an internet campaign orchestrated by male Ghostbusters fans criticizing the reboot.
Jason Reitman, Ivan’s son, is directing a new “Ghostbusters” film he cowrote with Gil Kenan. He says his film will follow the events of the first two “Ghostbusters” films and focus on young characters including McKenna Grace and “Stranger Things”‘ Finn Wolfhard. Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon also star.
Weaver, Potts, Aykroyd and Hudson have discussed appearing in the new “Ghostbusters” film as their original characters. That film will be out in 2020. Tickets to Fathom’s screenings of the original “Ghostbusters” are available on their website.
