Ghostbusters: Afterlife is showing early signs that it may be successful at busting blocks at theaters this weekend, in addition to eradicating specters from the great beyond.
That’s because the Sony-produced film is already off to a promising start at the pre-Thanksgiving box office with $4.5 million Thursday evening, a good amount ahead of the 2016 all-women reboot of Ghostbusters, which posted $3.5 million under a similar timeline, Deadline reports.
At this rate, the Jason Reitman-directed film is potentially poised to excel at Sony’s projection of $27-$28 million. The film is booked at 4,300 theaters currently
Any extra momentum at the box office at this point is expected to be due to word of mouth.
All-tolled, the previous Paul Feig-helmed 2016 Ghostbusters ended up raking in $17.1 million Friday, including previews, totaling a $46 million domestic opening weekend.
For many audiences, the 2016 film is considered a disappointment. But interestingly, the critical reception of Ghostbuster: Afterlife has also been mixed, garnering a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes—surprisingly lower than the 2016 reboot.
In terms of fan reception so far, Afterlife boasts an impressive 96% audience score, while the 2016 film only has a 49%.
If original Ghostbusters actor Ernie Hudson, who also makes a cameo in this new film, can be viewed as an accurate barometer for what to expect from Afterlife, then audiences may be in for a treat. He stated in a recent interview that the film was a spiritual experience for him.
“I didn’t cry, but some of those emotions welled up in me,” Hudson said about being transported back to times of old by donning the iconic jumpsuit and proton pack in the film.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is playing now in theaters.