The newest The Ghostbusters franchise is iconic, and despite the number of sequels that have been released since the 1984 original, the first Ghostbusters is still the only universally beloved one. Interestingly, the Ghostbusters franchise is taking a different approach with its next film, seemingly pivoting after Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire's major failure.

Sony has been attempting to revitalize the Ghostbusters franchise for nearly a decade now, with the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot being the studio's first attempt. Sony finally found a successful formula with the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, leading the studio to quickly greenlight a sequel. This sequel turned out to be Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a box office failure and another critical flop for the franchise, meaning that Sony is now turning to Netflix for their next Ghostbusters movie.

Netflix's Ghostbusters Movie Avoids The Franchise's Ongoing Box Office Problem

It Will Go Directly To Streaming

It has been announced that an animated Ghostbusters movie for Netflix is in development, with this being the best next move for the franchise. The Ghostbusters franchise has struggled to find a consistent formula, with 2016's Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire failing either commercially or critically. After each failure, the franchise has had to pivot to something else, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire highlighted that the box office was at the root of this issue.

Putting a Ghostbusters movie directly on Netflix, however, avoids this problem, with the animated film not having to worry about the box office. Viewers who would be hesitant to go to movie theaters to see a Ghostbusters movie may be more likely to watch one on Netflix if it is part of a subscription that they already pay for, with this new move from the franchise being a fantastic pivot away from its recent failures.

An Animated Ghostbusters Movie Has More Freedom Than Live-Action

It Is Visually Distinct From The Live-Action Movies

Making Netflix's new Ghostbusters movie animated is also a great move, as the film will have a lot more freedom than the live-action movies. The animated Ghostbusters movie can have wackier ghosts, bigger locations, and more dynamic action, with it not being constrained by what can be actually filmed with a camera. This makes sense for a comedic franchise like Ghostbusters, which has been more and more reliant on CGI with each new installment.

An animated Ghostbusters movie also won't be held up to the same expectations as the live-action movies, meaning that it won't have to bring back the original Ghostbusters cast again after Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. The film will also be obviously distinct from the 2016 reboot and the Ghostbusters: Afterlife series, meaning that it could be a great starting point for new Ghostbusters fans.