'Ghostbusters' Disappointment Dampens Sequel Plans

This summer's remake of the 1984 comedy classic Ghostbusters was a lightning rod for controversy since long before the movie was released. It's hard to say whether the controversy was a factor in the film's relatively disappointing performance at the box office, or whether the lack of success was more directly attributable to the film's quality. Critics gave it, at best, mediocre reviews, and audiences seemed to react the same way. Whatever the reason for the poor performance, Sony's enthusiasm for continuing the film franchise has reportedly cooled considerably.

Before the film faced box-office difficulty, Sony's president of worldwide distribution, Rory Bruer, was bullish on the idea of a sequel.

"While nothing has been officially announced yet, there's no doubt in my mind it will happen," Bruer said in July just after the film was released.

Now The Hollywood Reporter, though, is reporting that in the face of a $70-million loss on the project, Sony is rethinking its commitment to another live-action Ghostbusters movie. The publication cites anonymous sources who say that a live-action sequel is off the table and instead the studio is focused on an animated sequel and an animated TV series.

Sony, however, will not comment on its plans, positive or negative, for a sequel, and a studio representative insists that the loss figure quoted by THR is "way off."