The Ghostbusters franchise is back on the big screen after a three year break, but how did brand new franchise installment Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire perform at the box office?

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which unites new characters and legacy icons, opened to $45.2 million at the domestic box office over the weekend, playing in 4,345 total theaters.

That number put Frozen Empire at the top of the box office charts for the weekend, with the franchise’s fifth installment surpassing the opening weekend of 2021’s Afterlife.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife opened to $44 million at the domestic box office, before going on to make $129 million in U.S. theaters and $204 million at the worldwide box office.

Worldwide, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is currently sitting at $61 million after just a few days of release, so there’s a good chance it will soon match the $200 million of Afterlife.

The reported production budget of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is $100 million, a bit higher than the cost to make Ghostbusters: Afterlife ($75 million). So one has to wonder if even a $200 million total haul for Frozen Empire would be enough to warrant more sequels being fast-tracked. Don’t forget that Ghostbusters (2016) ended its worldwide run with $229 million and was considered a box office disappointment due to its hefty $144 million price tag.

What’s most interesting here is that the past three Ghostbusters movies have had pretty much the same exact opening weekend here in the United States. The 2016 movie opened to $46 million while Afterlife opened to $44 million and Frozen Empire opened to $45 million. It’s clear that’s the cap for the franchise at this point, giving us a nice gauge for overall interest in the property. How much gas is left in the Ghostbusters tank? We’ll find out in the coming weeks.

In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, now playing in theaters, 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.

Meagan writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Frozen Empire offers familiar set pieces, references, and easter eggs aplenty, but the nostalgia tank is now running on empty.”