What a journey Paul Rudd has been on. This man has been in his late thirties for at least a century at this point, and he’s been a part of it all, from the robustly respectable comedies for teens and adults alike, all the way to the $388.4 million vat of regret know only as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. 6a286

Still, Rudd probably had some good times in the MCU‘s heyday, right? Well, maybe not enough to keep from g on to Friendship, the comedy that will team him with Tim Robinson for a thoroughly A24-coded (that is, unconventional) time. As you can see from the trailer below, Friendship has a bit of an attitude when it comes to modern franchise fare like Marvel.

Near the end of the trailer, Tim Robinson’s character meekly suggests seeing “a new Marvel” that’s “supposed to be nuts” so as to get out of a social engagement with his new neighbor, played by Paul Rudd. The joke being that Robinson’s character would prefer regrettably cheap entertainment over socializing (although, as we’ll get into in a minute, maybe we can’t blame him).

Now, you shouldn’t be taking pot shots at Marvel unless you’re prepared to walk the (cinematic) walk, yourself. Luckily for Friendship, this trailer suggests that an absolute monster of a dark comedy is closing in on us, and the best part is that we barely know what’s going on here.

IMDb’s description of the film — which premiered at TIFF this past September — describes it as follows: “When new neighbor Brian threatens his quiet life, Craig Waterman struggles to protect his family’s security.”

And yet, the first half of this trailer suggests that Friendship centers on a budding dynamic of healthy masculinity between Robinson’s Craig and Rudd’s Brian. But then, around two-thirds of the way in, an unattributed quotation heralds “An absolute nightmare,” and it’s clear that another shoe or three will be dropping in this film.

But Brian doesn’t seem to be the problem, per se. He tells Craig he wants to end the friendship, which appears to send the latter into an obsessive spell of indignance not unlike that of Colin Farrell’s Padraic in The Banshees of Inisherin. But what are these two gents beefing over? And how did Paul Rudd manifest such a fantastic mustache?

All this to say that A24 is doing a sincerely bang-up job of reeling in potential viewers with this doggedly mysterious Friendship trailer; a merit missed by too many franchise films, whose trailers mostly consist of four helpings of CGI noise, and exactly zero (0) attempts to tease a unique plot beat. And yes, that includes those new Thunderbolts* and Fantastic Four trailers, if only because Marvel doesn’t have recent history on its side.

Friendship drops into theaters this May, and it’s certainly set itself up as a plunge we ought to take (the current 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t hurt, either). The question, then; did that dig at Marvel come from a place of culturally-aware honesty? Or does it betray Friendship’s cynicism and insecurity about its own storytelling ability? We’ll just have to wait and see.

When you’re a talent like Jenna Ortega, you’re going to have a fantastic career. You can take on an iconic goth character and star in an opening Scream sequence where you brag about your elevated horror expertise, no problem. But can you really pull off starring in a movie called Death of a Unicorn?

People are more than a little confused about this A24 film, which is about Ripley (Ortega) and her dad Elliot (the forever young Paul Rudd) hitting the mystical creature with their car on their way to a professional retreat for Elliot.

Naturally, people have strong responses to the Death of a Unicorn trailer, which dropped earlier today. As one X put it, “WTF?????????????????">

People can’t decide if they’re going to race to the theater to see Death of a Unicorn or if they want absolutely nothing to do with this movie. And, honestly, I’m in that perplexed camp, too. One person online said A24 movies seem promising from trailers but end up being unsatisfying, and another wondered why “the same actors” end up in every movie. Bonkers premise aside, I could defend Ortega and Rudd forever, so I don’t want to hear that! Finally, another said, “Not sure how I feel about this one,” so maybe that’s the only possible position to take until the movie comes out.

Then there are those who praised the movie for its premise: “Finally some originality,” one said, and I will agree that at least this film is doing something different. I have literally no clue what genre Death of a Unicorn is supposed to be, but from the trailer, it seems to follow a traditional thriller movie structure. In it, Ripley and Elliot act like everything is fine when they get to the retreat, but when other characters ask them what’s going on and figure out they’re hiding the unicorn in their car, all hell breaks loose. In the most wild twist of all, it turns out you were right as a kid and unicorns really are magical, because the dust from this one’s horn appears to be a cure for cancer. I’m going to need a long explanation for that.

A24 doesn’t only make unhinged content — the company has put out some impressive films, including the deeply emotional Eighth Grade and Lady Bird; however, its popular horror movies do tend to walk on the wild side, from Hereditary and Midsommar to Tusk. I’m wondering if Death of a Unicorn is more or less bewildering than the premise of the 2014 A24 release Spring Breakers, which is like a fever dream or a music video (or both). Since Ari Aster is producing this Ortega/Rudd project, that might make people feel a little bit more confident that there’s something legit happening here.

There isn’t an official release date for Death of a Unicorn yet, which means more time for everyone to sit back and figure out what to think about it. Or maybe that’s not possible and everyone should just agree to check it out. At the very least, you get to watch Ortega and Rudd in a movie together, and that’s not the worst thing in the world.

Yesterday, A24 ever so courteously let us know that we’d be getting a trailer for their film Death Of A Unicorn today. Those who were already clued into this one knew that it would follow the fallout of a father (Paul Rudd) and a daughter (Jenna Ortega) running over a unicorn, but now that we’ve seen said trailer, it can be said quite definitively that A24’s usual customers will be locked right into this one.

The trailer kicks off with Elliot (Rudd) and Ridley (Ortega) having already beaten the unicorn in a game of chicken, leaving Ridley traumatized on an existential level. The setting quickly gives way to the estate of one Dell Leopold, the head of a pharmaceutical empire that happens to be in the middle of crisis management. Among the Leopold family is one Will Poulter, who seems to be the conduit of Death Of A Unicorn‘s dry, dark, acute, and effective sense of humor.

Anyway, the Leopolds get dollar signs in their eyes when presented with the unicorn, and proceed to use the various pieces of its corpse to develop magical drugs that can cure cancer, bestow their s with immortality, and pull off other such miracles. The catch? There’s another unicorn nearby, and it’s none too pleased about the fate of its fallen brethren. Cue the mythological carnage set against a remixed rendition of The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.”

Beyond Rudd, Ortega, and Poulter, the film will also star Richard E. Grant (Saltburn, Argylle), Téa Leoni (Only Murders in the Building), Anthony Carrigan (James Gunn’s Superman), Sunita Mani (Mr. Robot), Jessica Hynes (The Franchise), and Steve Park (Mickey 17). It will serve as Alex Scharfman’s feature directorial and screenwriting debut, and will be blessed with a score from the legendary John Carpenter, which he’ll co-create with son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies.

At a glance, Death Of A Unicorn‘s themes will fly in the realm of greed and exploitation, with the Leopolds’ comeuppance at the hands (horn?) of a unicorn being a none-too-subtle indictment of the rich. In all likelihood, though, it won’t be as cut and dry as that. The heart of the film seems to be Ortega’s character Ripley, who appears to form some kind of bond with the unicorn that allows her to tap into a deep truth about the universe. So, as fun as it will be to watch some of the film’s more gonzo proceedings play out, all the keen eyes will be on Ortega as we watch this unravel.

Even better is the fact that we don’t have to wait too long for it. The film is scheduled for a spring 2025 release date, and A24 will have plenty of other goodies to tide us over until then, the biggest of which being The Legend of Ochi, the directorial debut of Isaiah Saxton featuring the likes of Willem Dafoe and Finn Wolfhard, wherein a little girl named Yuri (Helena Zengel) befriends a baby ochi (a mix between an orangutan, cat, and Grogu) and endeavors to return it to its family. That film hits theaters on Feb. 28.

While Jenna Ortega won’t appear in Scream 7 (after screaming that many times, maybe her vocal cords are overstretched), the actress is keeping busy in the form of Death of A Unicorn. 

Ortega dropped out of the seventh installment of the slasher franchise this year due to scheduling conflicts… and perhaps a slight dose of behind-the-scenes drama. At the time, the actress’ role in season 2 of Wednesday was cited as the reason for her departure from Scream 7, but her filming schedule was already bustling as she jumped on board an A24 project about… well, the death of a unicorn. Produced by A24 (home to tons of off-kilter titles), Ortega’s most curious yet exciting project has released its official poster, ahead of its arrival in cinemas in the spring of 2025. 

The poster for Death of a Unicorn takes its title quite literally, showing the mythological creature cloaked in a blanket after presumably becoming the victim of roadkill. That, too, goes some way in explaining the film’s premise, which follows a father and daughter who accidentally run over a unicorn and are forced to deal with the consequences of their magical discovery. That alone earns points for originality (something that can’t be said for Scream 7), but anticipation is also heightened by the film’s starry cast. 

Alongside Ortega, Death of a Unicorn will star Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd as the second half of the daddy-daughter duo, proving that between ants and unicorns, the actor is tackling the animal kingdom one movie at a time. The cast also includes Saltburn’s Richard E. Grant, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s Will Poulter and Jurassic Park III’s Téa Leoni. While the stain of Quantumania and Ortega’s departure from a leading role in a blockbuster horror franchise might seem like a cause for concern, Death of a Unicorn is generating some pretty promising buzz for a few reasons. 

For starters, the combination of an original premise with an A24 production credit has spelled success for previous films like The Lobster (I’m sensing an animal theme here) and The Lighthouse, but Death of a Unicorn earns extra intrigue with its director. The movie — which was one of the few allowed to continue production during last year’s Hollywood strikes — is helmed by Alex Scharfman in what will be his feature-film debut, but he already has producer credits on films like Blow the Man Down and Resurrection. 

Notably, it was reported last year that Death of a Unicorn was produced by Ari Aster, the twisted mind behind A24 juggernauts like Midsommar, Hereditary, and Beau Is Afraid.  What’s more, Death of a Unicorn is billed as a black comedy, so it will be exciting to see Ortega flex her funny bone beyond the deadpan signature of Wednesday. We’ll know a bit more about the film’s potential once the official trailer lands. 

Meanwhile, on the Scream front, the seventh installment has endured waves of setbacks and negative headlines following the firing of castmate Melissa Barrera due to her pro-Palestine social media posts earlier this year. Despite that, filming for Scream 7 reportedly started this month, but given all the hullabaloo and the implications of being attached to a languishing franchise, perhaps it’s better that Ortega hitched herself to another wagon, even if that wagon went on to run over a unicorn.

What’s the cure for starring in a Marvel threequel that went on to flop unceremoniously? Well, for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Paul Rudd, the answer lies in assisting voters in having their voice heard this Election Day. 

The actor, who plays Scott Lang in all three Ant-Man entries, set aside his post-Quantumania blues to exercise his civic duty and provide water bottles to voters who were queuing at polling booths. Rudd was seen quenching voters’ thirsts outside ballot boxes at Temple University, in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. 

If anyone can make sense of these razor-thin polls, it’s Paul Rudd in a hat and a pair of shades giving ultimate Zaddy energy. His presence couldn’t come soon enough, either, since it was reported that voters at this particular campus had to wait hours in line in order to cast their votes for the presidential election. As he interacted with queuers, Rudd told MSNBC reporter Jacob Soboroff (who must’ve sensed there was an attractive person nearby) that he had come to Temple University because he “just wanted to give people water.”

Rudd went on to praise those who were using their voice. “They’re waiting in line for a long time, and it’s a wonderful thing that all these young people are out voting.” Showering more praise on a group who probably didn’t enjoy Quantumania, Rudd said it was “impressive” that voters had waited two hours in line, before being asked how he was feeling about the election itself. “I feel good about handing out some waters,” the actor said, barely concealing the collective panic as ballots continue to pour in. 

At some point on Election Day, Rudd was also seen posing alongside a campaign poster for the Democratic party. Fanfare naturally erupted as footage of Rudd’s polling booth visit went viral, with many flocking in of the Ghostbusters star. “Absolutely GOATed. We love Paul and Kamala,” one fan wrote, with another adding that the water delivery was “nice of him.” 

That same nice guy sentiment (in Hollywood, it’s Rudd and John Krasinski who hold that title) was echoed by other fans, who wrote that the Marvel star is “pretty dope,” and that they “never needed another reason to love Paul Rudd.” Rudd is one of multiple Marvel celebrities to have thrown their behind Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in recent weeks. 

An assembly of seven Avengers stars, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Paul Bettany, last week ed forces to encourage people to vote for the vice president, while the incredible Hulk himself, Mark Ruffalo, was spotted at the Democratic National Convention in August. More broadly, Harris has enjoyed the endorsement of fellow celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, Mark Hamill, Beyonce, and a little known individual who goes by the name of Taylor Swift. 

For his part, Harris’ opponent, Donald Trump, has collected endorsements from Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, Amber Rose, and Dennis Quaid. Regardless of the results of the election, which we probably won’t know for a few days, Rudd’s selfless act of civil service is a reminder that there’s still good men who have appeared on television, and still ones who don’t look like an Oompa Loompa. Now someone hand me a water bottle, I’m about to watch Clueless.  

when the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot came out and the overwhelming majority of the internet had the most misogynistically unhinged meltdown of the century, only for the film to stand out as a genuinely great movie that understood precisely what made the original Ghostbusters work?

Well, because of that little catastrophe, we didn’t seem to save enough vitriol for the Ghostbusters films that actually deserved to be dragged; specifically, 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which hit theaters earlier this year.

Indeed, it’s one thing to recklessly cash in on an IP, but the newer Ghostbusters reboot has mangled its source material to such a grossly commercialized degree, that we should feel ashamed for even knowing that these movies exist. But, evidently, we don’t, because Frozen Empire has managed to debut at number one on the Netflix film leaderboards in the United States.

Per FlixPatrol, American Netflix s have quite unthinkably chosen to spend their streaming time shoving this Paul Rudd-led disaster to the top of the Top 10, edging out the likes of Trolls Band Together (the delightful little DreamWorks romp starring Justin Timberlake), and previous leaderboard champion Land of Bad (which is probably the best movie about Liam Hemsworth fighting for survival in the Philippines alongside his Delta Force team that we’ll get all year).

There’s a joke in here about Frozen Empire shouldn’t cross the streams and poison the minds of Max viewers after its Netflix run ends, but the mere existence of this film has sapped too much of my Ghostbusters-tinted mirth to give it much in the way of attention. Just know there are better uses of your Netflix time, folks; trust me on that.

Doing a 23andMe (other brands of genealogy tests are available) is often an interesting way to find out about yourself and your heritage. Unfortunately, digging around in your family history can sometimes unearth some skeletons in your clan’s closet that really should’ve remained a secret.

Take the strange story of TikTok Kate who discovered the horrifying truth (at least for her) that her mom and dad are actually cousins! The revelation that her parents are in any way related left Kate freaking out, but hilariously, her mom seemed totally unfazed by the news and didn’t appear to understand why it was causing her daughter to lose her mind.

“Do you have a genetic disorder, Kate">an episode of Finding Your Roots, Marvel star Paul Rudd discovered his parents were even more closely related as they were second cousins. So, apparently what happens to the children of cousins is that they become immortal and never visibly age. Huh. Guys, should we be marrying our cousins? [Note: We Got This Covered does not endorse marrying your cousin].

The challenge of adapting comics is the number of characters to draw from. The character of Ant-Man features one of these challenges.

For a long time, Hank Pym was the one and only Ant-Man in Marvel comic continuity. He and Janet took on the mantle of the insect-related superheroes and had a fine time doing it. Scott Lang was only added later. While Hank’s (Michael Douglas) contribution to the Ant-Man mythos is acknowledged in the Marvel films, there is no denying that Paul Rudd in the role of Scott is the main draw of the films. His humor and unlikely heroism make him one of the most enjoyable characters in the franchise. But this switcheroo adds fuel to the fire of the questions prevalent in another Marvel entity. 

Deadpool & Wolverine unites the Merc With the Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) at last in a multiverse-heavy film. The Deadpool franchise has always pushed the envelope with its content, so it’s anyone’s guess who the man behind the Ant-Man of the film will be.

Who is Ant-Man in Deadpool 3? 5y650

The trailer for Deadpool 3 has such sensory overload that there are many blink-and-you-’ll-miss-it moments. Many old-school Marvel villains, such as Pyro (Aaron Stanford) and Azazel (Jason Flemyng), appear in quick flashes in the trailer. But more prevalent is the giant Ant-Man skull being used as a hide-out. The trailer doesn’t indicate the identity of this dead Ant-Man, but as luck would have it, Deadpool 3 released more footage that hinted at the sad demise of our favorite six-legged superhero. A new clip posted on X (formerly Twitter) gives some context to the giant head as Deadpool offers a quippy line of dialogue.

“Huh, Paul Rudd finally aged,” Deadpool comments about the skull. This quick line plays on Rudd’s reputation as an ageless immortal and also has the benefit of revealing which Ant-Man is in question. Despite exploring the multiverse, Deadpool 3 does not appear to use Hank as the prime Ant-Man. Unfortunately for Scott Lang fans, he apparently does not survive in whatever timeline Deadpool is traversing in the ambitious film.

But that doesn’t exactly make Ant-Man dead in the water. At least, not forever. If Logan can return after his definitive death in his titular 2017 film, there is still hope for Rudd’s Ant-Man. Who knows exactly what timeline that skull is from? And after all, the entirety of Deadpool 2 changed after Wade time-traveled to save Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). That’s how that works in the MCU, right? Fans will have to wait to see what rules Deadpool follows and breaks when the film premieres in theaters on July 26.

Before getting their big break in Hollywood, some actors started out in low-budget horror films. Needless to say, these actors have since left their humble beginnings behind and made a name for themselves in mainstream cinema, but every flourishing career has to start somewhere.

While not all of these actors made their debut in horror, the early roles helped to propel their careers long after cult-classics like Friday the 13th, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street spawned multiple sequels and the remake/reboot treatment several times over. From their brief appearances in these spine-tingling features, an onslaught of these performers have gone on to nab Emmys and Oscars in their respective field of genres.

And while some of these stars might be more recognizable or successful than others on this list, there’s absolutely no denying how significant all their careers have been individually — thanks to the massive horror genre, of course.

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Matthew McConaughey, who went on to star in Dallas Buyers Club (2013) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), actually had his breakout role with a ing performance as David Wooderson in the coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused (1993) in which he co-starred with Renée Zellweger (there’s some relevance to that fact, we promise). Two years later, McConaughey would enter the horror scene with a lead role in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, the fourth installment in Tobe Hooper’s slasher franchise, aptly named Vilmer Slaughter.

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Everyone knows him as Marvel’s Ant-Man, but Rudd wasn’t always a high roller. In 1995, Rudd made his on-screen debut as Josh in the coming-of-age teen comedy Clueless. Just months later, Rudd landed a role as Tommy Doyle in the less-than-memorable Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers. While Halloween had exhausted all its sequel potential at that point, Rudd starring alongside Donald Pleasance (RIP) as Dr. Sam Loomis was almost enough star power to excuse the severe lack of Laurie Strode.

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Patricia Arquette, sister to Rosanna Arquette, Alexis Arquette, Richmond Arquette and Scream‘s very own David Arquette, did actually make her film debut in a horror film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). While Arquette missed out on snagging a role in the original Freddy Krueger flick, she made her mark on Hollywood as final girl Kristen Parker. Nine years later, her brother would follow in her footsteps and appear as beloved fan-favorite Dewey Riley.

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See? We told you it would be significant to mention Zellweger sooner. Nowadays, she’s known as Bridget Jones in the romantic comedy saga of the same name and Judy Garland in Judy (2019), but just like McConaughey, she first started to make waves in Dazed and Confused. In Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, Zellweger portrays Jenny, the valiant yin to McConaughey’s zany yang.

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One of Hollywood’s finest actors, Tom Hanks, otherwise known as Woody in Toy Story, Scott Turner in Turner & Hooch (1989) and Forrest Gump in, well, Forrest Gump (1994), made his on-screen debut as Elliot in He Knows You’re Alone (1980), a slasher co-starring Caitlin O’Heaney and Elizabeth Kemp. Amy (O’Heaney) is due to be wed, but in the weeks leading up to her special day, she becomes the victim of stalking. By now, you might have guessed that (spoiler alert!) Hollywood heartthrob Tom Hanks is the culprit.

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The whole world knows her name, a luxury that Curtis owes to John Carpenter (and partly maybe her parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh). In 1978, Curtis made her feature film debut as Laurie Strode in Halloween, establishing her as a scream queen among the horror fanbase. From there, Curtis began to consistently star in a string of horror films, including The Fog (1980), Prom Night (1980), Terror Train (1980) and Roadgames (1981). She reprised her role as Laurie Strode in several Halloween sequels and David Gordon Green’s 2018 reboot trilogy that concludes with the Halloween Ends (2022).

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Another shameless heartthrob is Leonardo DiCaprio, whose career skyrocketed with Romeo + Juliet (1996). Unbeknownst to most, however, DiCaprio was stealing hearts long before then. Critters is a science-fiction comedy horror franchise that appears to indirectly parody the 1984 horror Gremlins. In the third film, DiCaprio stars as Josh in the straight-to-video sequel. In the future, he would go on to star in Inception (2010) and The Great Gatsby (2013) among many other successful and influential features.

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One of the industry’s most recognizable talents, Johnny Depp made millions as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, then had the misfortune of returning to the public eye for all the wrong reasons in the high-profile defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard. Before all that commotion, plus the hardcore drugs, Depp made his feature-film debut as Glen Lantz in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) with perhaps one of the most graphic deaths in the whole genre.

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Like Depp, EE’s ambassador Kevin Bacon kick-started his lustrous career in a long-standing horror franchise. Bacon portrayed Jack Burrell in Friday the 13th, the first of many slasher films centered on immortal villain Jason Vorhees. However, Friday the 13th wasn’t Bacon’s first-ever film role. He starred as Chip Diller in the comedy film National Lampoon’s Animal House and went on to appear in the likes of Apollo 13 (1995), X-Men: First Class (2011) and R.I.P.D. (2013).

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Jennifer Aniston, who we all know as Rachel Green in the cultural phenomenon Friends, landed her first major film role as Tory Redding in the 1993 horror comedy Leprechaun. She doesn’t appear in any of the sequels, and when one of them is called Leprechaun In the Hood, it isn’t hard to understand why. It’s campy, it’s cringey and it’s silly, but it became a sleeper hit and horror fans are still talking about it to this day. That’s a win in our book.

Paul Rudd, we love you, but it might be a stretch to say we loved your last two movies. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was so bad it cursed the entirety of 2023 for the previously unstoppable Marvel Studios, and now Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has left critics equally cold.

Even so, Paul, you could’ve tried a little harder while attending the Spanish premiere for Frozen Empire in Madrid this week. Rudd can pull off any look, of course, but it has to be said it seemed like he’d dressed in a hurry for this event, or else he had been dragged through the Quantum Realm backwards in order to get there. I must it, I do like the burgundy suit, but the mosaic-print shirt, especially with the plain white tee poking out underneath, just isn’t as sharp and stylish as some of his other looks on this Ghostbusters premiere world tour. Honestly, it’s giving Hawaiian shirt vibes.

Let’s not throw Rudd under the bus all on his own, though, as all the boys let the team down when it came to the Spanish premiere. Director Gil Kenan played it casual in a dark shirt-jacket while Finn Wolfhard donned a sleek black shirt that seemed to be a little poorly fitted. Only star McKenna Grace brought her A-game, with the Phoebe Spengler actress (and Rudd’s fellow MCU veteran, as Grace played the young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel) going for an elegant white ensemble.

If Rudd and the guys looked a bit like they couldn’t be bothered to attend this Ghostbusters premiere, that seems to be how a lot of critics felt too. If you can believe it, Frozen Empire has opened to a lower critics score on Rotten Tomatoes than even Quantumania, the most mocked MCU movie of them all. Reviews have routinely pounded the sequel to 2021’s popular Afterlife for having an unfocused storyline that’s lacking a sense of fun and missing much of the charm of the original ’80s movie. It’s sitting at just 45% on the review-aggregate site at present, while Ant-Man 3 is just a smidge higher at 46%.

It’s worth stressing, though, that the audience score is currently at a much more robust 87% , which suggests this is one of those movies that’s made for cinema-goers rather than critics. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen how many will actually be haunting multiplexes to watch it, as box office predictions suggest it’ll come away with a $39 million opening weekend — which is less than the COVID-impacted Afterlife, which opened to $44 million. Maybe next time Rudd should opt to wear something a bit warmer as the reception to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has turned out to be much chillier than expected.

The Ghostbusters franchise is giving a spooky welcome to the spring 2024 season with the return of the veteran Ghostbusters in their fifth adventure. Though listed as a supernatural comedy, is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire too scary for kids?

It’s been quite a while since we saw some jaw-dropping horror flicks, especially after last year’s critical hits like M3GAN and Evil Dead Rise. The new year came sooner than anticipated and we’ve all missed last year’s signature spookiness all through this winter. Though we got some brilliant watches like the much-awaited Dune: Part Two and our fluffy but dangerous Kung Fu Panda‘s fourth cinematic adventure, we’re yet to see what’s in store for horror fans this year.

While not exactly the kind of scary horror fans would anticipate, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will bring the supernatural to the screens. The film brought to us by the veteran duo Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman, is being marketed as a supernatural comedy, just like its 2021 prequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife. But before you make a family outing plan, here’s a quick review of whether you should leave your kids out of the theaters with this one.

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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire essentially falls on the comedy, fantasy, and adventure genre, revolving around a paranormal threat and ghostbusting activities. The film is Rated PG-13 by the MPAA, due to suggestive allusions, language, and supernatural action/violence. This means that children above the age of 13 can comfortably watch the movie with adult supervision. However, parents may want to use discretion based on their child’s sensitivity to tense or action-packed scenes.

Given that the plot revolves around dealing with an evil force, parents should expect action sequences. However, there are less physical fights and more use of gadgets. The movie also features humorous and clever banter in harmony with the serious and terrifying situations to counterbalance the menacing overtones. There are also a few humorous nods to adult themes and light adult language scattered throughout, but nothing too disturbing.

Light fright is a hallmark of the Ghostbusters franchise, and Frozen Empire continues this tradition. As the final verdict, the film contains content that may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers. So, if your child is above the age of 13, you can buy that ticket for them.

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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is releasing in the US theaters on Mar. 22, 2024. According to the official plot synopsis by Sony Pictures, the Spengler family will leave Summerville in the movie and go back to where it all started—the iconic New York City firehouse.

To take ghost-busting to the next level, they’ll the original Ghostbusters in their ultra-secret research facility! But we need a twist to move the story forward, no? In this case, the unearthing of an antiquated relic will unleash an evil force, necessitating the cooperation of both the modern and classic Ghostbusters to prevent a second Ice Age.

Over 30 movies and 16 years in, the MCU surely has the biggest cast of characters of any franchise ever, but there’s a sense following the failures of Phases Four and Five so far, that Marvel might be slimming down its universe.

For example, talk of sequels to the likes of Ant-Man 3 and Eternals stalled once those films released to, let’s say, less than positive receptions. Meanwhile, She-Hulk season 2 is almost definitely not happening and the chances of The Marvels producing Captain Marvel 3 seem smaller than Scott Lang.

Speaking of which, luckily for the stars of these frozen sub-franchises, there’s another shared universe out there that seems happy to take on those actors ill-treated by the MCU. In short, when ex-Marvel stars are in need of a job… Who they gonna call?

Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer confirms it’s playing home to half a dozen of Marvel’s most unfortunate actors 6i6623

At a time when family-friendly blockbusters aren’t the reliable cash-cows they used to be, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire could go either way for Sony when it releases this March 22. Whether it’s a good or bad sign that its cast is made up of actors who either escaped from poor-performing MCU movies or were criminally underused in popular ones remains to be seen.

Fresh off Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Paul Rudd is back to lead his first big-budget film since the threequel that landed with a thunk. Funnily enough, he’s sharing the screen once more with Bill Murray, who cameod in Quantumania as Krylar. The sequel’s trailer confirms that both Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt will get in on the ghost-catching action this time around, which may make up for the fact Marvel probably isn’t returning their calls to return as Eternals‘ Kingo and Pip the Troll.

Meanwhile, there’s Carrie Coon, one of those actors nobody re is part of the MCU thanks to her being wasted under unrecognizable CGI as Thanos’ lady lackey Proxima Midnight. As for the younger cast , McKenna Grace was only allowed a brief few moments of screentime as a young Brie Larson in Captain Marvel and Celeste O’Connor features in Sony’s next Spider-Man-less spinoff that’s bound to spin out of control, Madame Web.

All in all, that makes a total of seven actors Marvel did dirty finally finding a more beneficial blockbuster home for themselves. Let’s hope the talented cast is rewarded this spring by Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire making Marvel movie. Uh, I mean pre-Endgame Marvel money, not post-Endgame Marvel money.

Just promise me, Sony, whatever happens, please don’t name the next film Ghostbusters: Ghostmania.