Hideo Kojima offers his candid review of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Released on March 22, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the follow-up to Ghostbusters: Afterlife and is currently in theaters. Kojima is a video game design visionary famous for his creation of unique games such as Death Stranding, Policenauts, and Metal Gear. Kojima is currently working on an immersive video game with Jordan Peele titled OD.
Taking to social media, Kojima has written his blunt review of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. The video game designer revealed that he had just watched Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. In a vague statement, he called the film “a legitimate sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”
Though he says that he “enjoyed” Ghostbusters: Afterlife, implying that he may have also enjoyed its “legitimate sequel,” Kojima’s review of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire proceeds to be extremely vague. In one nondescript statement, said that “the staff and cast are the same as before,” which he said was different from the casting surprises in its predecessor. Kojima also noted that “Kumail-San was in it,” referring to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire actor Kumail Nanjiani.
Though his main creative medium exists in video games, Kojima is known for being a cinephile. His Twitter bio reads “Game Creator: 70% of my body is made of movies.” He is apt to review films on social media, often with a sense of straightforwardness. The fact that Kojima is well-seasoned in this medium is part of what makes his Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire review so amusing, as it feels largely factual rather than actually critical of the movie.
Even in its opacity, Kojima’s review of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire seems to slant towards the side of negativity; he is definitely not gushing about the movie. This lackluster response to the Ghostbusters sequel has not been uncommon since the film’s release. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire holds a rotten 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. This positions the film significantly lower than 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which brought in a 64% Rotten Tomatoes score. Both Afterlife and Frozen Empire had fairly large audience approval ratings, scoring 94% and 84%, respectively.
Despite the decent audience reviews for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the film is having a lackluster run at the box office thus far. It set the unfortunate franchise record of having the largest second-weekend box office drop, with revenue falling 65% from its opening. At the time of writing, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has grossed just $116.8 million worldwide. This is not enough yet to fully make back its estimated $100 million budget, putting Frozen Empire in a perilous box office position. So, it looks like Kojima is not the only one who feels unexcited towards the Ghostbusters sequel.
Source: Hideo Kojima / Twitter