No film this year has been on the receiving end of as much pre-release negativity as Paul Feig's upcoming Ghostbusters reboot. Indeed, the hate for the film has been impossible to ignore, and that suits Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Tom Rothman just fine.
"It's the greatest thing that ever happened", the Sony boss told The Hollywood Reporter. "Are you kidding me? We’re in the national debate, thank you. Can we please get some more haters to say stupid things?"
While it's perhaps not the greatest choice of words, I see where Rothman is coming from here. Not for nothing is "any publicity is good publicity" a popular saying, and there's no denying that there's people who are more curious about the female-led reboot because of the pre-release drama. Of course, the biggest factor when it comes to Ghostbusters' box office success is still the quality of the movie, and word of mouth will matter much more once the movie is released.
Directed by Paul Feig and starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth, Ghostbusters opens in UK and US cinemas on July 15, 2016.
Images: Sony Pictures Entertainment
