Editing Ghostbusters II (section)

{{Short description|1989 film by Ivan Reitman}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=March 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Ghostbusters{{nbsp}}II
| image          = Ghostbusters ii poster.jpg
| alt            = Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson face the viewer. They are armed with slime throwing weapons resembling guns, with large tanks on their back. Behind them is a large logo of a "no ghosts" sign holding up two fingers. The logo "Ghostbusters{{nbsp}}II" is printed beneath them.
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Ivan Reitman]]
| producer       = Ivan Reitman
| writer         = {{ubl|[[Harold Ramis]]|[[Dan Aykroyd]]}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|[[List of Ghostbusters characters|Characters]]|Dan Aykroyd|Harold Ramis}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bill Murray]]
* Dan Aykroyd
* [[Sigourney Weaver]]
* Harold Ramis
* [[Rick Moranis]]
* [[Ernie Hudson]]
* [[Annie Potts]]
}}
| music          = [[Randy Edelman]]
| cinematography = [[Michael Chapman (cinematographer)|Michael Chapman]]
| editing        = {{ubl|[[Donn Cambern]]|[[Sheldon Kahn]]}}
| studio         = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| distributor    = Columbia Pictures
| released       = {{Film date|1989|06|16}}
| runtime        = 108 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $30–40{{nbsp}}million
| gross          = $215.4{{nbsp}}million
}}
'''''Ghostbusters{{nbsp}}II''''' is a 1989 American [[Supernatural fiction|supernatural]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[Ivan Reitman]] and written by [[Dan Aykroyd]] and [[Harold Ramis]]. The film stars [[Bill Murray]], Aykroyd, [[Sigourney Weaver]], Ramis, [[Rick Moranis]], [[Ernie Hudson]], and [[Annie Potts]]. It is the sequel to the 1984 film ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' and the second film in the [[Ghostbusters (franchise)|''Ghostbusters'' franchise]]. Set five years after the events of the first film, the Ghostbusters have been sued and put out of business after the destruction caused during their battle with the [[deity]] Gozer the Gozerian. When a new paranormal threat emerges, the Ghostbusters reunite to combat it and save the world.

After the success of ''Ghostbusters'', [[Columbia Pictures]] wanted a sequel but struggled to overcome objections from the cast and crew. As with the first film, Aykroyd and Ramis collaborated on the script, which went through many variations. The pair wanted to convey a message about the consequences of negative human emotions in large cities. They settled on the idea of negative feelings creating a mass of supernatural slime beneath [[New York City]] that empowers malevolent spirits. With a budget of $30–40 million, filming took place between November 1988 and March 1989 in New York City and [[Los Angeles]]. Production was rushed and large sections of the film were scrapped after poorly received test screenings. New scenes were written and filmed during re-shoots between March and April 1989, only two months before its release.

''Ghostbusters{{nbsp}}II'' was released on June 16, 1989, to generally negative reviews. Critics responded unfavorably to what they perceived as largely a copy of the original and a softening of its cynical, dark humor to be more family-friendly, although the performances of [[Peter MacNicol]] and Rick Moranis were repeatedly singled out for praise. As the sequel to the then-highest-grossing comedy film of all time, ''Ghostbusters{{nbsp}}II'' was expected to dominate the box office. Instead, the film earned $215.4 million during its theatrical run compared with the original's $282.2 million, making it the [[1989 in film#Highest-grossing films|eighth-highest-grossing film of the year]]. Columbia Pictures deemed it a financial and critical failure, effectively dissuading Murray from participating in a third ''Ghostbusters'' film. Its soundtrack single, "[[On Our Own (Bobby Brown song)|On Our Own]]" by [[Bobby Brown]], was a success, spending 20 weeks on the United States music charts.

The film failed to replicate the cultural impact and following of ''Ghostbusters''. Although some critics retrospectively praised it, ''Ghostbusters{{nbsp}}II'' is generally seen as a poor follow-up to ''Ghostbusters'' and responsible for stalling the franchise for decades. The film spawned a series of merchandise including [[List of Ghostbusters video games|video games]], board games, [[Ghostbusters (comics)|comic books]], music, toys, and [[Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted houses]]. Despite the relative failure of ''Ghostbusters II'', a second sequel was pursued through to the early 2010s. Following the mixed reviews and financial underperformance of the [[Ghostbusters (2016 film)|2016 series reboot]], the series returned to the original films with ''[[Ghostbusters: Afterlife]]'' (2021) and ''[[Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire]]'' (2024).