Paul Feig Calls Out Sony Over New ‘Ghostbusters’ Box Set

Paul Feig had some choice words about a new Ghostbusters box set. The director called out Sony & Columbia Pictures for not including the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot in the Ghostbusters: Ultimate Collection box set. 

The box set includes the original 1984 comedy classic, 1989’s Ghostbusters II, and the 2021 film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but does not feature the 2016 reboot starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon. The box set has eight discs and comes with a Special Features disc, Making Ghostbusters disc, a photobook and special packaging replica of the Ghost Trap to hold all the Blu-ray cases. The special set is set to release February 1, 2022. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife has garnered mixed reviews online, but has already taken in at $173.6 the box office since its premiere on November 19, a feat given a slow return to theaters due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Feig, who directed the 2016 version, tweeted at Sony Pictures, “Um… @SonyPictures, I know this must be a mistake. We do have a lot of fans and Bill, Dan and Ernie were in it and it won the Kids Choice Award for Best Feature Film the year it came out. So, I guess this was just an oversight? #weareallghostbusters.” The tweet also contains a link to an article entitled “The Ghostbusters Ultimate Gift Set Doesn’t Include Ghostbusters 2016 And That Is A Huge Problem,” from Slash Film. The article from BJ Colangelo details why leaving out the film is a mistake for a multitude of reasons.

Sony Pictures was not available for comment and has not responded to the tweet. Feig’s film has been included in past box sets including one released in 2016, however Ghostbusters (2016) has remained controversial on the internet. Even in the replies to Feig’s tweet debates over the quality of the film and feminism have re-erupted. 

The film had a $144 million budget and only made $229.1 million at the box office. Many attributed the flop to anti-feminist sentiment around the film online due to the ‘all female’ cast. Others argued it was the quality of the film itself, however Jones was bullied off of Twitter during the release due to racist and sexist comments from the film’s detractors. Ghostbusters: Afterlife reboots the franchise again instead of continuing from the 2016 film, but leaving the 2016 film out of the box set seems odd given the “ultimate” descriptor.