Editing Ghostbusters (section)

{{Short description|1984 film by Ivan Reitman}}
{{About|the original 1984 film|other uses}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=April 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Ghostbusters
| image          = Ghostbusters (1984) theatrical poster.png
| alt            = The poster for Ghostbusters (1984), featuring actors Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd in characters looking above.
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Ivan Reitman]]
| producer       = Ivan Reitman
| writer         = {{plainlist|
* [[Dan Aykroyd]]
* [[Harold Ramis]]
}}
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Bill Murray]]
* Dan Aykroyd<!--Linked above-->
* [[Sigourney Weaver]]
* Harold Ramis<!--Linked above-->
* [[Rick Moranis]]
}}<!--ONLY NAMES ON POSTER. DO NOT ADD POTTS OR HUDSON-->
| music          = [[Elmer Bernstein]]
| cinematography = [[László Kovács (cinematographer)|László Kovács]]
| editing        = {{plainlist|
* [[David Blewitt|David E. Blewitt]]
* [[Sheldon Kahn]]
}}
| production_companies = {{plainlist|
* Columbia-Delphi Productions
* Black Rhino{{efn|Columbia-Delphi Productions and Dan Aykroyd's Black Rhino are credited as the production companies behind ''Ghostbusters''.<ref name="AFI" /><ref name="GuardianRhino" />}}
}}
| distributor    = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1984|06|08}}
| runtime        = 105 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $25–30&nbsp;million
| gross          = $370&nbsp;million
}}

'''''Ghostbusters''''' is a 1984 American [[Supernatural fiction|supernatural]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[Ivan Reitman]] and written by [[Dan Aykroyd]] and [[Harold Ramis]]. It stars [[Bill Murray]], Aykroyd, and Ramis as [[Peter Venkman]], [[Ray Stantz]], and [[Egon Spengler]], three eccentric [[parapsychologists]] who start a [[ghost]]-catching business in [[New York City]]. It also stars [[Sigourney Weaver]] and [[Rick Moranis]], and features [[Annie Potts]], [[Ernie Hudson]], and [[William Atherton]] in supporting roles.

Based on his fascination with [[spirituality]], Aykroyd conceived ''Ghostbusters'' as a project starring himself and [[John Belushi]], in which they would venture through time and space battling supernatural threats. Following Belushi's death in 1982, and with Aykroyd's concept deemed financially impractical, Ramis was hired to help rewrite the script to set it in [[New York City]] and make it more realistic. It was the first comedy film to employ expensive special effects, and [[Columbia Pictures]], concerned about its relatively high $25–30&nbsp;million budget, had little faith in its box office potential. Filming took place from October 1983 to January 1984, in New York City and [[Los Angeles]]. Due to competition for special effects studios among various films in development at the time, [[Richard Edlund]] used part of the budget to found [[Boss Film Studios]], which employed a combination of [[practical effects]], miniatures, and puppets to deliver the ghoulish visuals.

''Ghostbusters'' was released on June 8, 1984, to critical acclaim and became a cultural phenomenon. It was praised for its blend of comedy, action, and horror, and Murray's performance was often singled out for praise. It earned at least $282&nbsp;million worldwide during its initial theatrical run and was the [[1984 in film#Highest-grossing films|second-highest-grossing film of 1984]] in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], and the then-highest-grossing comedy ever. It was the number-one film in US theaters for seven consecutive weeks and one of only four films to gross more than $100&nbsp;million that year. Further theatrical releases have increased the worldwide total gross to around $370&nbsp;million, making it one of the most successful comedy films of the 1980s. In 2015, the [[Library of Congress]] selected it for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]]. Its theme song, "[[Ghostbusters (song)|Ghostbusters]]" by [[Ray Parker Jr.]], was also a number-one hit.

With its effect on popular culture, and a dedicated fan following, the success of ''Ghostbusters'' launched a multi-billion dollar [[Ghostbusters (franchise)|multimedia franchise]]. This included the popular animated television series ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' (1986), its follow-up ''[[Extreme Ghostbusters]]'' (1997), [[List of Ghostbusters video games|video games]], board games, [[Ghostbusters (comics)|comic books]], clothing, music, and [[Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted attractions]]. ''Ghostbusters'' was followed in 1989 by ''[[Ghostbusters II]]'', which fared less well financially and critically, and attempts to develop a second sequel paused in 2014 following Ramis's death. After [[Ghostbusters (2016 film)|a 2016 reboot]] received mixed reviews and underperformed financially, a second sequel to the 1984 film, ''[[Ghostbusters: Afterlife]]'' (2021), was released, followed by ''[[Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire]]'' (2024).