It was the first comedy film to employ expensive special effects, and Columbia Pictures, concerned about its relatively high $2530million budget, had little faith in its box office potential. He described the success as a phenomenon that would forever be his biggest accomplishment and, compounded by the failure of his personal project The Razor's Edge, he felt "radioactive". Murray and Aykroyd's agent Michael Ovitz recalled an executive telling him, "Don't worry: we all make mistakes", while Roberto Goizueta, chairman of Columbia's parent, The Coca-Cola Company, said: "Gee, we're going to lose our shirts". [63] Early concepts featured a black car with purple and white strobe lights giving it a supernatural glow, but this idea was scrapped after cinematographer Lszl Kovcs noted that dark paint would not film well at night. [161] Author Ralph Clare highlights that the Ghostbusters reside in a disused firehouse and drive an old ambulance, each sold off as public services fail. Harvey alleged the Ghostbusters logo was based on their character Fatso. [34] The Millennium Biltmore Hotel stood in for the scenes set at the fictional Sedgewick Hotel. [231] Others have named it one of the best science-fiction films,[232] best science-fiction comedies,[233] and best summer blockbusters. [7], Ghostbusters was screened for test audiences on February 3, 1984, with unfinished effects shots to determine if the comedy worked. Audiences reacted with fear, laughs, and applause as the Librarian Ghost transformed into a monster. Steve Guttenberg apologizes for "Ghostbusters II" comment, then talks [8] According to him, an earlier version of the script gave Winston a larger role as an Air Force demolitions expert with an elaborate backstory. It's hard to tell if he's joking or not, but Steve Guttenberg really seems to think that 'Ghostbusters 2' never happened. [j] The release was supported by a $1million advertising campaign. [49] There have also been crossover products including comic books and toys that combine the Ghostbusters with existing properties like Men in Black,[151] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,[152][143] Transformers,[153] and World Wrestling Entertainment. [43][44] Bernstein personally disliked the use of these songs, particularly "Magic", but said, "it's very hard to argue with something like ["Ghostbusters"], when it is up in the top ten on the charts". [210] That year, Time Out rated Ghostbusters five out of five, describing it as a "cavalcade of pure joy". [170] The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explicitly does not believe in the ghosts or "waste" the Ghostbusters are collecting and, in turn, the Ghostbusters do not believe the EPA deserves obedience or compliance because of its ignorance. A successful, recognizable brand could be used to launch spin-offs, helping establish a business model in the film industry that has since become the status quo. [139] Merchandise based directly on the film did not initially sell well until The Real Ghostbusters, which on its own helped generate up to $200million in revenue in 1988, the same year the Ghostbusters proton pack was the most popular toy in the United Kingdom. [16], The first three floors and street-front of Dana's building were recreated as sets for filming, including the climactic earthquake scene where hydraulics were used to raise broken parts of the street. Having failed to properly test their equipment, Egon warns the group that crossing the energy streams of their proton pack weapons could cause a catastrophic explosion. [141][138] A successful Ghostbusters video game was released alongside the film. [200][182] The film has also been homaged or explicitly referred to across a variety of media including film,[46][201][202][203] television,[204] and video games. [198][199], Ghostbusters was turned into a special-effects laden stage show at Universal Studios Florida, which ran from 1990 to 1996, based mainly on the final battle with Gozer. Arrested After Allegedly Planning School Shootings, Required to Perform 50 Hours Community Service, 2023 EHM PRODUCTIONS,INC. After struggling to complete a design due to executive interference, Johnson took at least three grams of cocaine and completed the final design in one night, based in part on Aykroyd's and Ramis's wish for the creature to homage Belushi. Watch the video -- it's possible he's joking -- but he seems really emphatic that the river of slime, Vigo the Carpathian, and the dancing toaster never existed. The Ghost Busters is a live-action children's sitcom that ran on CBS in 1975, about a team of bumbling detectives who investigate ghostly occurrences. [8][140][183] It had a significant effect on popular culture and is credited with inventing the special-effects driven comedy. [73][g] The main cast members each received percentages of the gross profits or net participation. Guttenberg (who appeared in the first four Police Academy films) seems pretty confident that Ghostbusters 2 never happened. After a paranormal encounter in her apartment, cellist Dana Barrett calls the Ghostbusters. [72] Columbia spent approximately $10million on marketing, including $2.25million on prints, $1million on promotional materials, and $7million on advertising and miscellaneous costs including a $150,000 premiere for a hospital and the hotel costs for the press. [45][46] Huey Lewis was approached to compose the film's theme, but was already committed to work on Back to the Future (1985). Following Belushi's death in 1982, and with Aykroyd's concept deemed financially impractical, Ramis was hired to help rewrite the script to set it in New York City and make it more realistic. [131][132][133] The film was released as part of the 8-disc Ghostbusters: Ultimate Collection Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray boxset in February 2022, also containing its sequels Ghostbusters II (1989) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and the 2016 reboot Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. Based on his own fascination with spirituality, Aykroyd conceived Ghostbusters as a project starring himself and John Belushi, in which they would venture through time and space battling supernatural threats. [9][16] The floating books were hung on strings. [66][184][185] In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected Ghostbusters for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". [10] There were approximately 50 to 60 different theme songs developed for Ghostbusters by different artists before Parker Jr.'s involvement, though none was deemed suitable. Players. The building design, while common in New York, was a rarity in Los Angeles. The creature was one of many elaborate supernatural entities in Aykroyd's initial treatment, originally intended to emerge from the East River only 20 minutes into the film. The ghosts, which were once human, are not acknowledged as such and are treated as a nuisance that the Ghostbusters transport to less desirable areas, similar to real-world gentrification. [8] This left 13 months to complete the film, with no finished script, effects studio, or filming start date. But it's always been very frustratingkind of a love/hate thing, I guess. [102] Time's Richard Schickel described the special effects as somewhat "tacky" but believed this was a deliberate commentary on other ghost films. Faced with supernatural chaos across the city, the Ghostbusters convince the mayor to release them. [34] The "Psychokinetic Energy meter" ("PKE meter") prop was built using an Iona SP-1 handheld shoe polisher as a base, to which lights and electronics were affixed. I have to be outraged. At various points, a police officer drew his gun on a taxi driver who refused orders; in a similar incident, another officer pulled a driver through his limo window. The "Three Men and a Baby" star, 64,. [73] Including the budget and marketing costs, it was estimated the film would have to make at least $80million to turn a profit. from Parker Jr's "Ghostbusters",[46] and Murray's adlib of "this chick is toast" against Gozer to imply she was finished or doomed over the scripted line of "I'm gonna turn this guy into toast". With its effect on popular culture, and a dedicated fan following, the success of Ghostbusters launched a multi-billion dollar multimedia franchise. [107], Ghostbusters was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1985: Best Original Song for "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. (losing to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red), and Best Visual Effects for John Bruno, Richard Edlund, Chuck Gaspar and Mark Vargo (losing to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). Cocoon: The Return. [96] Writing for Newsday, Joseph Gelmis described the Ghostbusters as an adolescent fantasy, comparing their firehouse base to the Batcave with a fireman's pole and an Ectomobile on the ground floor. It was during the opening library scene Reitman knew the film worked. He was also drawn to the idea of modernizing the comedic ghost films of the mid-20th century by comics such as Abbott and Costello (Hold That Ghost, 1941), Bob Hope (The Ghost Breakers, 1940) and the Bowery Boys (Ghost Chasers, 1951). The cream acted as a skin irritant after hours of filming, giving some of the cast rashes. [8][9] Reitman later admitted he made up the figure, basing it on three times the budget for Stripes, which seemed "reasonable". [43], Music was required for a montage in the middle of the film, and "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News was used as a temporary placeholder because of its appropriate tempo. [15] Sandra Bernhard turned down the role of the Ghostbusters' secretary Janine Melnitz, which went to Annie Potts. After Columbia University parapsychology professors Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler experience their first encounter with a ghost at the New York Public Library, the university dean dismisses the credibility of their paranormal-focused research and fires them. [84] A Slimer-inspired limited-edition citrus-flavored Hi-C's Ecto Cooler drink first released in 1987, was one of the more popular items, and did not cease production until 2001. [60] The PKE meter prop was designed and built by John Zabrucky of Modern Props in partnership with an outside fabricator. [9][10][15] Moranis developed many aspects of his character, including making him an accountant, and ad-libbed the lengthy speech at Tully's party. It also features astrologist Ruth Hale Oliver as the Library Ghost,[3] Alice Drummond as the Librarian,[4] Jennifer Runyon and Steven Tash as Peter's psychological test subjects,[5][6] Timothy Carhart as a violinist,[6] and Reginald VelJohnson as a corrections officer. [15][85] Ghostbusters surpassed Animal House as the highest-grossing comedy film ever, until Beverly Hills Cop surpassed it six months later. [197] In 2017, a newly discovered ankylosaur fossil was named Zuul crurivastator after Gozer's minion. [18][19] Ramis was inspired by the cover of a journal on abstract architecture for Egon's appearance, featuring a man wearing a three-piece tweed suit and wire-rim glasses, his hair standing straight up. [159][161] As Vox notes, the mayor, a government representative, is motivated to release the Ghostbusters after being reminded that their success will save the lives of "millions of registered voters", a cynical view of an official who is motivated by what allows him to retain his position. Many scenes had to be cut, including an asylum haunted by celebrities, and an illegal ghost-storage facility in a New Jersey gas station. This article is about the original 1984 film. However, she did praise Weaver's performance as an "excellent foil" for Murray. "[69] For the scene where Dana's apartment explodes outwards, Weaver stood on set as the stunt happened. Egon warns that the containment unit is nearing capacity and supernatural energy is surging across the city. [20], Hudson auditioned five times for the role of Winston Zeddemore. [61] The technology was designed to not be overly fancy or sleek, emphasizing the characters' scientific backgrounds combined with the homemade nature of their equipment. Her disembodied voice demands the Ghostbusters "choose the form of the destructor". [240], Aykroyd pursued a sequel through to the early 2010s. [243][244][245][246] Before its release, Ghostbusters was beset by controversies. Steve Guttenberg - Biography - IMDb The lighting used throughout the painting consumed so much power that the rest of the studio had to be shut down, and an additional four generators added, when it was in use. Cocoon (film) - Wikipedia ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Similarly, the "no ghosts" logo was modified to protest political candidates like Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale to Mickey Mouse by striking Disney workers. There was often only time for a few takes. [98] Schickel considered Murray's character a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop fully his patented comic character". The game was well-received, earning award nominations for its storytelling. [103][104] Travers and Gelmis said the three main actors worked well as a collaborative force,[97][102] and Hicks described Murray, Ramis, and Aykroyd as wanting "to be like the Marx Brothers of the 80s". It includes four unreleased tracks, and commentary by Bernstein's son Peter. [84][234] Murray's Peter Venkman appeared at number44 on Empire's 2006 list of its "100 Greatest Movie Characters".[235]. The Ghostbusters rescue Dana and Louis from the wreckage and are welcomed on the street as heroes. [114], Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1984 and 21 weeks on the charts altogether.
