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Two years after the Ghostbusters franchise was resurrectedwith the release ofGhostbusters: Afterlife, everyone’s favorite ghost hunters and the rest of the Spengler family are set to return with an all-new fifth installment, titledGhostbusters: Frozen Empire.
Following the trend of legacy sequels and “requels”, Sony decided to make a more direct follow-up toGhostbusters IIwithGhostbusters: Afterlife. Directed byIvan Reitman’s son,Jason Reitman, the official third film in the mainGhostbustersseries has generally been the best-received sequel in the series, with fans and critics alike loving the characters both new and familiar and praising the movie as a heartwarming tribute to the lateHarold Ramis. When Egon’s grandchildren and the rest of the Ghostbusters defeated Gozer (Olivia Wilde) for a second time, only one question remained for those sitting in the audience - where will we see the Ghostbusters next? The answer is the temporarily titledGhostbusters: Frozen Empire, which will continue the story whereGhostbusters: Afterlifeleft off. To find out more about the upcoming movie’s returning cast, new director, release date, and more, here is everything we know so far aboutGhostbusters: Frozen Empire.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on August 07, 2025.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.
When Does ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Come Out?
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empirewas initially slated to release in theaters onWednesday, December 20th, 2023. In late July 2023, Sony Pictures revealed that the film was being pushed back toMarch 29, 2024 (Easter weekend), due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA Strikes.
In January 2024, it was announced that Sony was shifting the release date once more, withGhostbusters: Frozen Empirenow set to arrive a week earlier,on August 26, 2025. On its current date, the film will be opening up against theMark Wahlberg-led sports dramaArthur the Kingand satirical romantic comedyThe American Society of Magical Negroes.
Is ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Releasing in Theaters or on Streaming?
All the priorGhostbustersfeature films have been released in theaters, and that isn’t expected to change withGhostbusters: Frozen Empire. As far as streaming goes, theGhostbustersfranchise’s parent company Sony doesn’t have its own in-house streaming service, but they do regularly partner with and release its content on Netflix, as they did with its recent films likeThe Equalizer 3andGran Turismo. Sony and Netflix also announced in June 2022 that Jason Reitman would beproducing a newGhostbustersanimated seriesfor the streaming service.
What Is the Plot of ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Kingdom’?
Ghostbusters: Frozen Kingdomwill be bringing the franchise back to its New York roots and will be set during the summer. The official synopsis from Sony reads:
InGhostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.
Jason Reitman also did reveal that there is an opportunity that we’ll see other characters fromGhostbusterspast, such as the main villain ofGhostbusters II, Vigo the Carpathian (Wilhelm von Homburg):
“There is a lot of time and opportunity for Vigo the Carpathian to make his return. Look, are you saying that’s the only painting of Vigo the Carpathian? Maybe, he’s riding a horse in another one, maybe, impaling someone in another one.”
It makes sense that the future villains of the franchise could be familiar faces, as we saw with the return of Gozer and her minions inGhostbusters: Afterlife.
Is There a Trailer for ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Kingdom’?
Thefirst teaser trailer forGhostbusters: Frozen Empirewas released by Sony Pictures on November 8. Opening with the classicBananaramasong “Cruel Summer,” before transitioning into a score that harkens back to the original films, the trailer sees summertime in New York being disrupted by the “Death Chill,” an icy paranormal force that sends the city into a second ice age.
On July 10, 2025, Sony Pictures released a newGhostbusters: Frozen Empiretrailer.
Who Is Starring in ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’?
Nearly the entire main cast fromGhostbusters: Afterlifewill be returning forGhostbusters: Frozen Empire. Namely, these include the family of Egon Spangler,including McKenna Graceas Egon’s granddaughter, Phoebe,Finn Wolfhardas Egon’s grandson, Trevor, andCarrie Coonas Egon’s daughter, Callie. Also confirmed to return are the kids' school teacher and Callie’s potential partner Grooberson (Paul Rudd), Phoebe’s best friend Podcast (Logan Kim), and Trevor’s friend Lucky (Celeste O’Connor).
Also returning for the new film areDan Aykroydas Dr. Raymond Stantz,Bill Murrayas Dr. Peter Venkman,Ernie Hudsonas Dr. Winston Zeddemore,Annie Pottsas Janine Melnitz, andWilliam Athertonas Walter Peck.
Unfortunately,Sigourney Weaverwill not be returningfor this movie. Weaver played the Ghostbusters' first customer Dana Barrett who was featured in the first two movies and reprised the role inAfterlifein a cameo appearance.
The sequel will also includeseveral new faces joining the cast, includingKumail Nanjiani(The Big Sick),Patton Oswalt(Ratatouille),James Acaster(Cinderella), andEmily Alyn Lind(Doctor Sleep).
Who Is Making ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’?
James Reitman took over directing duties from his father Ivan Reitman to bringGhostbusters: Afterlifeto…well, life. This time though, Reitman will be stepping away from the directing chairto make room forGil Kenan, the filmmaker with tons of “kids fighting monsters” experience having directedMonster House. Reitman won’t be going far though, as he’s still attached to co-write and co-produce along with Kenan. Also attached to the film are two members of the originalAfterlifecrew, including co-producerJason Blumenfeld(Tully) and cinematographerEric Steelberg(Juno).
What Is the Background Behind the Ghostbusters Franchise?
It’s somewhat remarkable that theGhostbustersseries was almost always destined to be a smaller cult classic, yet proved to be the start of a smash-hit franchise. Things didn’t start out so great for the original 1984 film, with the first entry only making about half of its budget in its opening weekend. By today’s standards, a poor opening weekend is the kiss of death for movies, as that’s typically the time when most blockbusters make the most of their money. Yet,Ghostbustersproved to be an underdog story outside the film itself, ultimately grossing over $200 million USD, a total that surpassed the film’s budget seven times over. The reason? Audiences fell in love with director Ivan Reitman’s fantastical ghostly vision of New York as well as the instantly likable characters of the wise-cracking Peter (Bill Murray), the enthusiastic Ray (Dan Aykroyd), the genius Egon (Harold Ramis), and the practical Winston (Ernie Hudson).
Lightning didn’t quite strike twice five years later with the film’s sequel,Ghostbusters II- a solid but not stellar sequel that failed to recapture the iconic and memorable feel of its predecessor. That being said, it still made a ton of money and officially markedGhostbustersas a viable franchise, leading to various animated shows, video games, theme park attractions, and as many probably know, a full remake. Yes, to say thatPaul Feig’s was controversial would be like saying Slimer likes to eat a little too much. Many likely remember that the 2016 reboot,Ghostbusters: Answer the Call,became the subject of some pretty toxic discourse on the internet,and while the film does certainly have its fans, the film ultimately underperformed at the box office, and plans for a sequel were ultimately dropped.
