#Afterlife Scores Estimated $40.5 Million Opening Weekend, Lower Than 2016 Reboot

While the original “Ghostbusters” debuted in 1984 and became a lifetime favorite for Gen X, the franchise has enjoyed longevity thanks to the “Real Ghostbusters” animated series trickling into the early 1990s and the continued intergenerational sharing as Gen X and Millennials have gone on to have children of their own. According to Comscore and Screen Engine’s PostTrack, nearly a third of the audience of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” were comprised of families or an adult accompanying a child under the age of twelve. The movie has been given a CinemaScore of A- based on audience polling, which is one grade above the B+ given to “Ghostbusters” (2016).

The “Ghostbusters” films have historically centered on adults, but “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” focuses on the family of Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), which includes daughter Callie (Carrie Coon) and grandchildren Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard). Part of the “Ghostbusters” legacy is the film’s ability to be used as a gateway genre film to help younger audiences transition from family-friendly fare into more intense or spooky films. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” continues the tradition, and leans even harder into the family-friendly vibe, so it’s no shocker that a huge chunk of the audience consists of small humans. That said, the remaining percentage of the audience were viewers over the age of 25, the target demo for anything making a comeback that was cool in the 1980s.

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is in theaters now.