The Ghostbusters cinematic universe just got a lot bigger thanks to Frozen Empire.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) is finally out in theaters and has already trapped $61.6M onopening weekend (against a $100M budget). While the film has opened to some mixed reviews from critics, fans are loving the latest entry in the long-running franchise.
The new sequel is full of surprises, from returning legacy characters tonew specters and spooks of all shapes and sizes. But there’s one stand-out moment in the film that will likely have fans talking for quite some time after they leave the movie theater.
Frozen Empire Explained
Picking up two years after Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), Frozen Empire brings the franchise back to New York City, where the new recruits — Phoebe Spengler (McKenna Grace), Trevor Spengler (Finn Wolfhard), Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), Podcast (Logan Kim), and Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) — have set up shop in the Ghostbusters Firehouse.
But when a new threat known as Garraka begins to emerge, it’s all hands on deck as Ghostbusters old and new unite. There’s Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), who’s now a successful businessman responsible for giving new life to the Ghostbusting business; Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), who studies possessed artefacts at the Occult Bookstore; parapsychologist Peter Venkman (Bill Murray); and former Firehouse secretary Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts), who officially suits up as a Ghostbuster for the first time.
Afterlife‘s Lucky Domingo (Celeste O’Connor) also returns to the fold, this time working at Winston’s privately-owned Paranormal Research Center with Dr. Lars Pinfield (James Acaster), who invents and tests new weapons to help the Ghostbusters out in the field.
Unsurprisingly, just like the 2021 film, there are a number of callbacks to previous entries. For example, during the early part of the film, we get a direct nod to Ghostbusters II (1989) in the form of archive news footage depicting the Statue of Liberty walking through New York City (which was then brought to life using positively-charged psychomagnotheric “mood” slime) to take on the possessed oil painting Vigo the Carpathian.
But the reference that follows is very surprising.
While many fans already know that Ray Parker Jr.’s iconic song “Ghostbusters” is canon with the films as it plays during a kid’s birthday party in the 1989 sequel, Frozen Empire confirms that the music video is also canon! Then, we even see a real TV commercial advertising toys from the long-running animated series The Real Ghostbusters (1986 — 1991), which, until now, has been widely regarded by fans as non-canon.
So, while Frozen Empire doesn’t explicitly confirm that the animated series is canon, the fact it acknowledges the blue Proton Packs from The Real Ghostbusters, along with having the iconic green ghost Slimer as a live-in ghost at the Firehouse just like he is in the cartoon series, and with director/writer Gil Kenan previously admitting that the film borrows a lot from that show, we think it’s fair to say it’s now part of the film series.
As for the Ray Parker Jr. music video, well, there’s really no debating that one!
Now, there’s no better time to take a look at what’s canon in the franchise, and what isn’t.
What’s Canon in Ghostbusters?
Ghostbusters (1984)
Ghostbusters (1984), the first film in the series, is obviously canon. Directed by Ivan Reitman, the supernatural comedy classic spawned the entire franchise as we know it, first resulting in the long-running animated series The Real Ghostbusters.
Related: ‘Ghostbusters’ Cinematic Universe Will Include New Sequels, TV Shows, and More
The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters follows the first film and spans seven seasons. While there are many notable differences between series and film, from the Ghostbusters’ outfits to the fact Slimer is a live-in ghost, The Real Ghostbusters is very much the first sequel to the 1984 classic.
Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters IItakes place five years after the events of the first film. While it doesn’t seem to acknowledge the events of the cartoon series, Frozen Empire appears to canonize the beloved animated installment by featuring The Real Ghostbusters toy commercials.
Related:Sony Releases Brand-New ‘Ghostbusters’ Short Film Online
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Ghostbusters: Afterlifeis the third canon film in the series as it reinstates the timeline established in the first film and ignores the reboot Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016). Unfortunately, it also removes Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009) from canon.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed
The video game Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (2022) picks up after the post-credits scene in Afterlife to find Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) and Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) relaunching the Ghostbusters business from the Firehouse. As such, it’s 100% canon.
Related: ‘Ghostbusters’: Louis Tully’s Return Explained
Frozen Empire Comic Book Series
Ghostbusters: Back in Town (2024) is a four-part comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, which bridges the gap between Afterlife and Frozen Empire by explaining why the Spengler family has relocated from Oklahoma to New York City between films.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Frozen Empire is the fourth film in the main series, acting as a direct sequel to Afterlife. It’s also the first film in the franchise to acknowledge The Real Ghostbusters as canon, from which it takes plenty of inspiration, as revealed by director/writer Gil Kenan.
Related: ‘Ghostbusters’ TV Series Gets Imminent Release Date Ahead of ‘Frozen Empire’
What Isn’t Canon in Ghostbusters?
Extreme Ghostbusters
Unfortunately, while the cult classic cartoon series Extreme Ghostbusters (1997) is absolutely a sequel to its 1986 predecessor, it is not canon with the film series, as there has been no mention of a second Ghostbusting team operating in New York during the late ’90s.
The 2009 Video Game
Ghostbusters: The Video Game is still considered to be the official third entry in the film series by many fans (there’s even a movie-style cut of the game on YouTube), but sadly, Afterlife contradicts the events depicted in this beloved entry, rendering it non-canon.
Related:‘Ghostbusters’ TV Series Geared Towards Adults Explained
IDW Publishing Comics
The IDW Publishing Ghostbusters comic book series might not be canon with the films, but it is “secondary canon,” and has adopted the first two films, the 2009 video game, both cartoon shows, and even the widely hated 2016 reboot Answer the Call.
2016 Reboot Answer the Call
Unsurprisingly, the 2016 reboot from director Paul Feig is not canon with the main film series as it takes place in its own timeline. However, as we’ve just mentioned, if you’re a fan of the film, you’ll be glad to know the story continues in the IDW Publishing comic books.
Frozen Empire
Check out the trailer for Frozen Empire below, per Sony Pictures:
Related: ‘Ghostbusters’: Louis Tully’s Return Explained
Frozen Empire stars Carrie Coon (Callie Spengler), Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), McKenna Grace (Phoebe Spengler), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor Spengler), Celeste O’Connor (Lucky Domingo), Logan Kim (Podcast), Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), William Atherton (Walter Peck), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), James Acaster (Lars Pinfield), Patton Oswalt (Dr. Hubert Wartzki), Kumail Nanjiani (Nadeem Razmaadi), and Emily Alyn Lind (Melody).
The film is now showing in theaters worldwide.
What’s Next After Frozen Empire?
The Ghostbusters franchise continues to expand beyond the film series. Frozen Empire will be followed by a new comic book series titled Back in Town. There’s also aGhostbusters animated movie and an animated series in production. Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan has also hinted at more sequels beyond the new film.
Ghostbusters is now expected to return to Universal Studios for Halloween Horror Nights 2024, having last appeared for the event at Hollywood and Orlando in 2019. Orlando previously hosted Ghostbusters Spooktacular (1990 – 1996), Extreme Ghostbusters: The Great Fight Way (2002 – 2005), and StreetBusters (1991 – 1993).
In addition to the films, cartoons, and comic books, there are plenty of Ghostbusters video games to enjoy, too, from Spirits Unleashed to the virtual reality (VR) experience Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord (2023).
This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the 1984 film, which, in celebration, is returning to theaters in front of a live orchestra.
Have you seen Frozen Empire yet? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
