Many of the star-studded cast and crew of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire had its world premiere at the AMC Lincoln Square New York in New York City.
The new supernatural comedy film, which is the direct sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and the fifth in the film franchise, reunites OG Ghostbusters stars of yesteryear with newer cast members.
Bill Murray, who led the cast of the smash hit original Ghostbusters (1984), was all smiles when he made his way to the red carpet for a round of photos that included an arm-in-arm snuggle with his Frozen Empire counterpart, Paul Rudd.
Looking casual-cool in in blue pants, a matching Polo-style shirt, a dark brown blazer, and black boots, the actor, who plays Dr. Peter Venkman in four of the five movies in the franchise, appeared to be in a grand mood, smiling and laughing with his colleagues.
He seemed to step up the smiles and laughter when he was greeted by Rudd, who has been at the top of the Ghostbusters marquee for Afterlife and the brand new Frozen Empire.
Bill Murray, 73, seemed to be in a grand mood when he attended the premiere of the new film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire at the AMC Lincoln Square New York in New York City
In true Murray fashion, the actor and comedian showed off his comedic side by making funny faces while posing on the red carpet
On this day, Murray stepped out to the festive event with his gray hair cut short, while sporting a closely cropped beard and mustache.
At a certain point, Murray and Rudd met face-to-face and the two men proceeded to put on a show of their own, with the film’s leading man grabbing his co-star back behind the neck as he came in for a closer look.
Rudd, 54, looked handsome in a dark blue suit with a light blue dress shirt, dark blue tie and black dress shoes.
Like his friend and colleague, the Ant-Man star also went with a full beard and mustache for the big premiere event in Manhattan.
Before heading inside for a screening, the two leading men were joined by other cast members for a group shot with co-stars.
For the new sequel, the story starts years after again stopping the apocalyptic deity Gozer The Gozerian in Summerville, Oklahoma, as the veteran Ghostbusters must join forces with their new recruits to save the world in New York City from a powerful death-chilling adversary who seeks to build a spectral army, according to Wikipedia.
Rudd, Murray, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Celeste O’Connor and Logan Kim are among the actors to reprise their roles from Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), which was a hit with moviegoers, grossing $204.3 million at the worldwide box office against a $75 million budget.
Joining Murray from the original cast were Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and William Atherton, who reprised their characters from the earlier films.
Bill Murray, 73, couldn’t hold back the joyous look on his face when he reunited with the cast of the new supernatural comedy film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire at the AMC Lincoln Square New York in New York City on Thursday
Murray seemed to step up the smiles and laughter when he was greeted by Paul Rudd, who has been at the top of the Ghostbusters marquee for Afterlife and the brand new Frozen Empire
The two actors stopped playing aeround with each other long enough to pose for a photo
The former Saturday Night Live star has appeared in all five Ghostbusters film, although the he had a smaller and different role in the reboot Ghostbusters (2016)
Murray and Rudd would join some of the their collegues for a group shot; Murray is seen on the left with Emily Alyn Lind, Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, Gil Kenan, Carrie Coon, Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd
Murray’s career in film and television dates back to the early 1970s
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is scheduled to premiere in theaters on March 22
Directed by Gil Kenan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jason Reitman, who just happens to be the son of the late Ivan Reitman, the director of the original hit Ghostbusters (1984) film that was written by Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis.
Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt are among those who are newcomers to the cast of characters over the course of the franchise that dates back to the original, which became somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, earning $295.2 million while working from a budget of just $25-30 million. That translates, with inflation from 1984, to nearly $882 million.
The sequel Ghostbusters II (1989), which brought back original stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts, was another hit with fans, raking in $215.4 million while spending $30-40 million on the production.
The reboot of the franchise, Ghostbusters (2016), or otherwise known as Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Charles Dance, Michael K. Williams and Chris Hemsworth, wasn’t as big of a hit with fans, but still made $229.1 million against a much larger budget of $144 million.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is scheduled to make its widespread premiere in theaters on March 22.
