Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire earlier received mixed to negative reviews from critics who attended the world premiere at the AMC 13 theater in New York. The film had a record-low Tomatometer score of 44%, the lowest among all five movies. Frozen Empire was the fifth theatrical installment and a direct sequel to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. However, the film’s audience score tells a whole different story about the film’s reception.
The audience score proves that the veterans under Bill Murray haven’t failed to entertain the masses, with the help of new recruits, including Paul Rudd. After the audience score came out, fans called out the critics for unnecessarily bashing the film.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Loved By Audiences After Abysmally Low Critics Score
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has received an 85% audience score from the ratings of more than 250 viewers, according to Rotten Tomatoes. It is almost double the critics’ score on the platform, prompting audiences to criticize the reviews of the film. The film received some of the worst reviews among the Ghostbusters franchise films.
When the audience score was announced on X, fans poured in overwhelming support for Paul Rudd, Bill Murray, and the team. One fan noted in the comments that it was the only score that mattered while adding that they couldn’t agree with the rotten verdict of the film. Another fan criticized that the reviews could’ve been from a woke panel of critics who didn’t like certain things about the film.
A Ghostbusters fan shared that the latest installment was an amazing and fun ride. They also added that the careet reviewers didn’t represent the audience of the film. For other fans, it did not come as a shock that the audiences liked the film far better than the critics. Some of the fan reactions read:
‘GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE’ debuts with a 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes 🍅
Read our review: https://t.co/3V1q2gHea2 pic.twitter.com/pPp4odeW6i
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) March 22, 2024
The only score that matters. Still tho, I wouldn’t of expected it to be rotten pic.twitter.com/OZQ0vWnvqY
— CinemaBums (@Cinema_Bums) March 22, 2024
Woke critics don't like something….this is probably a good movie!
— BigJuicyBootay (@BootayJuicy) March 22, 2024
It is amazing and fun. Especially to fans. Once again these career reviewers shows that they don't represent us, the audience.
— ᴄᴏɴɴᴏʀ ᴛᴏᴍʙʟᴏᴏᴅ 𖤐™ (@R4ZORCANDY) March 22, 2024
Great!!! Always trust the audience!
— Magnious (@Magnious) March 22, 2024
Audience likes it more than the Critics…
Not a shock
— Blake W Taylor (@BlakeWesleytay2) March 22, 2024
The previous record for the lowest-rated Ghostbusters film was held by the second film in 1989. The film with a 55% critics score had a somewhat similar audience score of 61%. Frozen Empire is currently positioned third according to the audience score of the film. Among the installments, audiences mostly loved the 2021 film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, followed by the original film, with scores of 94% and 88% respectively.
The female-led 2016 installment received a fresh rating from critics. However, the film was review-bombed with misogynistic reactions. Producers had to bring back the original team to recover from the backlash of that film.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Almost Reminds Fans Of Zack Snyder Films
Zack Snyder‘s films, especially his DCEU films Man of Steel and Batman vs. Superman received low scores on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics. In fact, Batman vs. Superman received one of the lowest critics score for a DCEU film at 29%, but the 63% audience score revealed it to be a decent watch. Snyder’s next two ventures with Netflix, Army of the Dead and Rebel Moon, also experienced a similar phenomenon.
This situation highlights the level of scrutiny that films have to undergo in the current theatrical scenario. However, some fans still believe that critics’ scores can not influence the audience’s decision to root for some of their favorite franchises. The film’s theatrical performance will eventually decide the fate of further films in the franchise.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is successfully running in theaters while the other Ghostbusters films are now available for streaming on AMC+.
