document_title: Tomb Raider

question_text: when was the original tomb raider game released

text: Tomb Raider

text: Titles[edit]

text: The first six Tomb Raider games were developed by Core Design, a British video game development company owned by Eidos Interactive. After the sixth game in the series released to a lukewarm reception in 2003, development was transferred to North American studio Crystal Dynamics, who have handled the main series since then.[1] Since 2001, other developers have contributed either to ports of mainline games or with the development of spin-off titles.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

text: Games[edit]

text:
Timeline of release years

1996
Tomb Raider

1997
Tomb Raider II

1998
Tomb Raider III

1999
The Last Revelation

2000
Tomb Raider

Chronicles

2001
Curse of the Sword

2002
The Prophecy

2003
The Angel of Darkness

2004

2005

2006
Legend

2007
Anniversary

2008
Underworld

2009

2010
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

2011

2012

2013
Tomb Raider

2014
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris

2015
Lara Croft: Relic Run

Lara Croft Go

Rise of the Tomb Raider

2016

2017

2018
Shadow of the Tomb Raider

text: The first entry in the series Tomb Raider was released in 1996 for personal computers (PC), PlayStation and Sega Saturn consoles.[7][8] The Saturn and PlayStation versions were released in Japan in 1997.[9][10] The second game, Tomb Raider II, launched in 1997, again for PC and PlayStation. A month before release, Eidos finalised a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to keep the console version of Tomb Raider II and future games exclusive to PlayStation until the year 2000.[7][8] The PlayStation version was released in Japan in 1998.[11] Tomb Raider III launched in 1998.[8] As with Tomb Raider II, the PlayStation version released in Japan the following year.[12] The fourth consecutive title in the series, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, released in 1999. In 2000, with the end of the PlayStation exclusivity deal, the game also released on the Dreamcast.[7][13] In Japan, both console versions released the following year.[14][15] Tomb Raider Chronicles released in 2000 on the same platforms as The Last Revelation, with the PlayStation version's Japanese release as before coming the following year.[7][13][16]

text: After a three-year gap, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was released on the PC and PlayStation 2 (PS2) in 2003. The PS2 version was released in Japan that same year.[13][17] The next entry, Tomb Raider Legend, was released worldwide in 2006 for the PC, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable (PSP), GameCube, Game Boy Advance (GBA) and Nintendo DS.[6][18][19] The 360, PS2 and PSP versions were released in Japan the same year.[20] A year later, a remake of the first game titled Tomb Raider: Anniversary was released worldwide in 2007 for PC, PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360 and the Wii.[21] The next entry, Tomb Raider: Underworld, was released in 2008 on the PC, PlayStation 3 (PS3), PS2, Xbox 360, Wii and DS.[22][23][24] The PS3, PS2, Xbox 360 and Wii versions were released in Japan in 2009.[25][26][27][28]

text: In 2011 PS3 gets The Tomb Raider Trilogy which has Anniversary and Legend remastered for HD resolution (720p) along with the PS3 version of Underworld, the single Blu-ray also includes avatars for PS Home, a Theme Pack, new Trophies, Developers Diary videos for the three games and trailers for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.

text: A reboot of the series, titled Tomb Raider, was released worldwide in 2013 for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.[29][30] Its sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, was released in 2015 on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.[31][32] The game was part of a timed exclusivity deal with Microsoft.[33] Versions for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows were released in 2016.[34] Rumours indicate that Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be the title for the third game in the reboot trilogy, but there has not yet been an official confirmation.[35] In November 2017, Square Enix announced that Shadow of the Tomb Raider would be revealed in late 2018.[36] However, this reveal would be pulled up, as on 15 March 2018, Shadow of the Tomb Raider was officially confirmed by Square Enix. It will serve as the third and final game in the rebooted origin story. It is currently set to be fully revealed on 27 April 2018, and released worldwide on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows on 14 September 2018.[37]

text: Spin-offs[edit]

text: The first spin-off title in the series was a game for the Game Boy Color (GBC) titled Tomb Raider, developed by Core Design and released in 2000.[5][38] Its sequel, Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword, was released in 2001 for the GBC.[5][39] In 2002, a new game for the GBA called Tomb Raider: The Prophecy, was developed by Ubisoft Milan and published by Ubisoft.[5][40] In 2003, four Tomb Raider titles for mobile phones were released.[41] A platform-puzzler for mobile devices, Lara Croft Go, was released in 2015.[42]

text: Beginning in 2010, a separate subseries titled Lara Croft was in development, offering experiences separate from the development of the main series and existing in its own continuity.[43][44] The first game in this subseries, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, released in 2010 as a downloadable title for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.[43] The next game in the series, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, released for both retail and download in 2014 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.[45] Another entry for mobile devices, an endless runner platformer titled Lara Croft: Relic Run, was released in 2015.[44]

text: Cancelled games[edit]

text: The Angel of Darkness was originally the first game in a trilogy, with its sequel titled The Lost Dominion. While The Lost Dominion was undergoing preliminary development, the negative reception of The Angel of Darkness caused the entire trilogy to be scrapped.[7][46] With Eidos' approval, Core Design began development of an updated edition of the first game for the PSP called Tomb Raider: The Anniversary Edition in late 2005, with a projected release date of Christmas 2006. Development continued while Core Design staff were working on the platformer Free Running. When Core Design was sold to Rebellion Developments, Eidos requested the project’s cancellation. It was suggested by staff that Eidos did not want to let outside developers handle the franchise.[47][48]

text: Common elements[edit]

text: Lara Croft[edit]

text: Lara Croft is the main protagonist and playable character of the series: she is a woman who travels the world in search of forgotten artifacts and locations, frequently connected to supernatural powers.[51][52][53] While her biography has changed throughout the series, her shared traits are her origins as the only daughter and heir of the aristocratic Croft family.[51][54][55] She is portrayed as intelligent, athletic, elegant, fluent in multiple languages, and determined to fulfill her own goals at any cost. She has brown eyes and brown hair worn in a braid or ponytail. The character's classic outfit consists of a turquoise singlet, light brown shorts, calf-high boots, and tall white socks. Recurring accessories include fingerless gloves, a backpack, a utility belt with holsters on either side, and twin pistols. Later games have multiple new outfits for her.[50][56][57][58]

text: Lara Croft has been voiced and portrayed by many actresses in games: Shelley Blond, Judith Gibbens, Jonell Elliot, Keeley Hawes, and Camilla Luddington. In other media, Croft was voiced by Minnie Driver in the animated series and portrayed by Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander in films. Multiple models and body doubles have also portrayed Croft in promotional material up until the reboot in 2013. Eight different real-life models have also portrayed her at promotional events.[59][60]

text: Continuity[edit]

text: The circumstances of her first adventures, along with the drive behind her adventures, differ depending on the continuity. In the original and Legends continuities, she is on a plane that crashes in the Himalayas: her journey back to civilisation against the odds help begin her journey towards her adult life as an adventuress and treasure hunter.[51][54] In the original continuity, after her ordeal in the Himalayas, she left behind her privileged life and made a living writing about her exploits as an adventurer, mercenary, and cat burglar.[61][62] In The Last Revelation, Lara was caught in a collapsing pyramid at the game's end, leaving her fate unknown: this was because the staff, exhausted from four years of non-stop development, wanted to move on from the character.[59] Chronicles was told through a series of flashbacks at a wake for Lara, while The Angel of Darkness was set an unspecified time after The Last Revelation, with Lara revealed to have survived. The circumstances of her survival were originally part of the game, but were cut due to time constraints.[59][63]

text: In the Legends continuity, her mother Amelia was also involved in the crash, and she is partially driven by the need to discover the truth behind her mother's disappearance and vindicate her father's theories about Amelia's disappearance.[64] This obsession with the truth is also present in Anniversary, and ends up bringing the world to the brink of destruction during the events of Underworld.[65][66] Her father is referred to as Lord Henshingly Croft in the original games and Lord Richard Croft in the Legends continuity.[51][54] The Lara Croft subseries take place within this continuity, featuring on smaller side stories that do not contribute to the plot of the main trilogy of the timeline.

text: In the 2013 reboot continuity, Lara's mother vanished at an early age, and her father became obsessed with finding the secrets of immortality, eventually resulting in an apparent suicide. Lara distanced herself from her father's memory, believing like many others that his obsession had caused him to go mad. After studying at university, Lara gets an opportunity to work on an archaeology program, in the search for the mythic kingdom of Yamatai. The voyage to find the kingdom results in a shipwreck on an island, which is later discovered to be Yamatai, however the island is also home to savage bandits, who were victims of previous wrecks. Lara's attempts to find a way off the island lead her to discover that the island itself is stopping them from leaving, which she discovered is linked to the still living soul of the Sun Queen, Himiko. Lara must find a way to banish the spirit of the sun queen in order to get home. However, she must survive long enough to do it. The aftermath of the events of the game causes Lara to see that her father was right, and that she had needlessly distanced herself from him. She decides to finish his work, and uncover the mysteries of the world.

text: Gameplay[edit]

text: The gameplay of Tomb Raider is primarily based around an action-adventure framework, with Lara navigating environments and solving mechanical and environmental puzzles, in addition to fighting enemies and avoiding traps. These puzzles, primarily set within ancient tombs and temples, can extend across multiple rooms and areas within a level. Lara could also swim through water, a rarity in games at the time that has continued through the series.[18][59][67][68] According to original software engineer and later studio manager Gavin Rummery, the original set-up of interlinking rooms was inspired by Egyptian multi-roomed tombs, particularly the tomb of Tutankhamun.[59] The feel of the gameplay was intended to evoke that of the 1989 video game Prince of Persia.[69] In the original games, Lara utilised a "tank" control set-up, with two buttons pushing her forward and back and two buttons steering her left and right, and in combat Lara automatically locked onto enemies when they came within range. The camera automatically adjusts depending on Lara's action, but defaults to a third-person perspective in most instances. This basic formula remained unchanged through the first series of games. Angel of Darkness also added stealth elements.[67][68][70][71]

text: For Legend, the control scheme and character movement was redesigned to provide a smooth and fluid experience. One of the key elements present was how buttons for different actions cleanly transitioned into different actions, along with these moves being incorporated into combat to create effects such as stunning or knocking down enemies. Quick-time events were also added into certain segments within each level, and many of the puzzles were based around sophisticated in-game physics.[18][59][72][73] Anniversary, while going through the same locals of the original game, was rebuilt using the gameplay and environmental puzzles of Legend.[74] For Underworld, the gameplay was redesigned around a phrase the staff had put to themselves: "What Could Lara Do?". Using this set-up, they created a greater variety of moves and greater interaction with the environment, along with expanding and improving combat.[75] The gameplay underwent another major change for the 2013 reboot. Gameplay altered from progression through linear levels to navigating an open world, with hunting for supplies and upgrading equipment and weapons becoming a key part of gameplay. The combat was redesigned to be similar to the Uncharted series: the previous reticle-based lock-on mechanics were replaced by a free-roaming aim.[76] Rise of the Tomb Raider built on the reboot's foundation, adding dynamic weather systems, and reintroducing swimming.[77]

text: History and development[edit]

text: Origins and development[edit]

text: At Core Design (1993–2003)[edit]

text: The concept for Tomb Raider originated in 1993 at Core Design, a British game development studio.[62] One of the men most involved in its creation was Toby Gard, who was mostly responsible for creating the character of Lara Croft. Gard originally envisioned her as a man: company co-founder Jeremy Heath-Smith was worried the character would be seen as derivative of Indiana Jones, so Gard changed the character's gender. Her design underwent multiple revisions and redrafts during early development.[1][59] The game proved an unexpected commercial success, reversing Eidos' then-bleak financial situation.[8] After the success of Tomb Raider, work began almost at once on a sequel. After the first game's success, Gard was no longer given full creative control, and it was stated by development staff that he was both saddened and disappointed by the use of Lara Croft's sex appeal in marketing. Gard left Core Design in 1997 to found his own gaming company Confounding Factor, and was replaced by Stuart Atkinson.[8][59][78] Tomb Raider II proved even more of a commercial success than the original.[79]

text: Over the next three years, Core Design was committed to delivering a Tomb Raider game annually, putting considerable strain on staff.[79] For this reason, and the feeling that they had exhausted the series' potential, the developers tried to kill the character off. This did not work, and while a fifth game was created, the team stated that they were not fully invested in its development.[8][59] During development on the fifth game, the team split into two divisions, with one division working on the next-generation sequel The Angel of Darkness.[46] During this period, multiple handheld titles were also developed by both Core Design and third-party developers.[5][13] The production of The Angel of Darkness was beset by problems from an early stage, with the team wanting to create a grander game to compete with contemporary action-adventure games.[46] Under pressure from Eidos, key sections of the game needed to be cut, and it was released before the team felt it was ready.[46][59] The game received negative reactions from both fans and critics, and was cited by Paramount as the reason for the second Tomb Raider film underperforming.[46][59][68][80]

text: At Crystal Dynamics (2004–present)[edit]

text: After the critical backlash of The Angel of Darkness, Eidos decided to take production of the Tomb Raider series out of Core Design's hands and give it to another subsidiary studio. Production of the next game was given to Crystal Dynamics, a studio that had made its name with the Legacy of Kain series.[68][81][82] Eidos CEO Ian Livingstone stated that while the critical failure of The Angel of Darkness was a major reason for taking the series away from Core Design, the decision was also motivated by their inordinate struggles with developing for the PlayStation 2, and by how many members of the Core team had complained that they were "burnt out" on Tomb Raider. He added that "For a UK company, moving the development of its prized asset from Derby to California was a big decision to make but, as it turned out, absolutely the right one to make."[79] One of the main priorities for both Eidos and Crystal Dynamics was to regain the fanbase's trust in the brand, along with helping the series reclaim the status and selling power it had before The Angel of Darkness' release.[83] Their main goal was to put Lara back inside tombs, with their physics-based engine enabling more intricate puzzles.[72] After Legend was finished, the team decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the series by remaking the original game, rebuilding the environments and redesigning the story to fit in with the events and gameplay of Legend.[59][58] Alongside the development of Anniversary, an entry for seventh-generation hardware was in development, although it used established gaming architecture from Legend and this caused problems for the development team.[84] In 2009, the year after the release of Underworld, Eidos was bought by Square Enix and later renamed Square Enix Europe, giving Square Enix ownership of the Tomb Raider franchise.[85][86]

text: Alongside Underworld, the team decided to create a new subseries that featured the character of Lara Croft while not using the Tomb Raider moniker and using the aesthetics of the Legend continuity.[43] During this period, a second development team was working on a second reboot of the series and character, which would put emphasis on a darker and gritter interpretation of the character.[49][87] Another priority was presenting Lara as a more human character, showing her in vulnerable positions, and showing how she begins her journey to becoming a "tomb raider" through both narrative and gameplay.[88] A sequel, eventually revealed as Rise of the Tomb Raider, was confirmed as being in development a few months after the reboot's release.[31][89] In response to criticisms about a lack of classic tombs, more optional and story-based tombs were incorporated into the game.[90] It also continued the team's new portrayal of Lara, showing more sides to her character and her growing obsession with discovering the truth.[53] In addition to this, the Lara Croft subseries was continued in multiple titles: the console game Temple of Osiris, and mobile title Relic Run.[45][91] In addition, the mobile puzzle game Lara Croft Go was created to both give a different gameplay experience and evoke classic Tomb Raider games.[92]

text: Music[edit]

text: The original Tomb Raider theme was composed by Nathan McCree. He created the original theme music after having discussions with Gard about the character of Lara Croft. Having decided to use Classical English music as an inspiration, he decided to create something simple for the theme song. Its simplicity made rearrangements and orchestrations easy. For his work on the first three Tomb Raider games, he was given fairly minimal briefs, and for Tomb Raider III he was working on the game as a freelancer as he had left the company.[93][94] For The Last Revelation, Peter Connelly replaced Nathan McCree as the main composer, using McCree's music as a basis for his work. He composed the opening theme for The Last Revelation, saying that the opening melody came to him out of the blue, and added Egyptian motifs to fit in with the game's setting. Chronicles was originally going to have a sizeable original opening theme, but due to time constraints the majority of it ended up being discarded, much to Connelly's later regret. Only the opening segment survived.[95] The music for Angel of Darkness, composed by Connelly and Martin Iveson, was the one element of production that did not encounter problems, as recording was finished before the major content cuts happened. Scored using a full orchestra as opposed to the synthesised instruments of previous titles, it was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.[46][95]

text: For Legend, Troels Brun Folmann composed the music and managed the sound effects. Alongside composing a large amount of music for the game, he created micro-scores for small segments within gameplay.[96] Folmann returned to score Anniversary, doing re-orchestrations of the original score, along with expanding them.[59] For Underworld, Folmann handled the main theme while Colin O'Malley handled the rest of the soundtrack, which featured far less looping music than Legend.[97] The 2013 reboot was scored by Jason Graves, who had become known through his work on the Dead Space franchise. Along with his orchestral style, he created a special instrument to create discordant sounds within the music, and musical elements from around the globe to represent the inhabitants of the game's island location.[98][99] For Rise of the Tomb Raider, the composer was Bobby Tahouri, who had previously worked as assistant composer on video games and theatrical films.[100] Guardian of Light used no original music, instead using extracts from the music of Legend, Anniversary and Underworld.[101] The music for Temple of Osiris was written by Will Roget II, who had originally worked on licensed video games including Star Wars: The Old Republic. Temple of Osiris was the first title in the Lara Croft subseries to have an original score, using Egyptian and Middle Eastern musical elements while creating a new main theme that could be used in future Lara Croft games.[102]

text: Technology[edit]

text: The first Tomb Raider used a custom-built game engine, as other equivalent engines available to Core Design at the time were not versatile enough to realise the team's vision. The engine was designed by Paul Douglas, who also handled the game's artificial intelligence (AI) and the three-dimensional (3D) graphics. The choice of a 3D game was influenced by the team's opinion that the game type was under-represented when compared to first-person shooters such as Doom. Its 3D style meant multiple elements were difficult to implement, including the AI and camera control. Another noted aspect was the multi-layered levels, as compared to equivalent 3D action-adventure games of the time which were limited to a flat-floor system. Lara's movements were hand-animated and coordinated rather than created using motion capture. The reason for this was that the team wanted uniformity in her movement, which was not possible with motion capture technology of the time.[69] For Tomb Raider II, only minor upgrades were made to the engine, with the main improvements being to the AI and smoothing out Lara's model.[71] Tomb Raider III underwent major revisions, including rewrites to the graphics engine and improvements in the lighting and AI systems.[103] The engine was given a major overhaul for The Last Revelation. The first five games make use of full-motion video cutscenes. For the first three games, they were primarily used as transitional periods depicting Lara moving from one level to another or one location to another.[104][105] For Chronicles, fairly minor revisions were made.[41][106]

text: For Angel of Darkness, a new engine was built from scratch, but due to being unfamiliar and unused to the technology of the PS2, the team encountered multiple problems such as needing to remove areas and characters due to polygon restrictions. Due to the deadlines imposed, the team were forced to cut corners, meaning that the game reached store shelves in a poor condition.[46] For Legend, the staff at Crystal Dynamics created a proprietary engine from the ground up, named the Crystal Engine.[18][107] The engine and the game's content were developed in parallel, leading to scheduling and workload difficulties.[18] Anniversary used the same engine as Legend.[108] Underworld used an all-new engine built specifically for the game, although its basic codebase was shared with Legend.[84][109] In Underworld, Lara's movements were animated using full motion capture, with Olympic gymnast Heidi Moneymaker providing the character's animations.[110] For the 2013 reboot, a new engine called "Foundation" was created for the game.[111] Motion capture was again used for the 2013 reboot.[112] An updated version of the Foundation engine was used again for Rise of the Tomb Raider.[113] For both games in the new reboot, Lara's hair movements were made more realistic using a technology called TressFX (TR:2013) or PureHair (ROTTR).[114]

text: Cultural impact[edit]

text: Both the character of Lara Croft and the concepts behind the Tomb Raider franchise have evolved thematically and in popularity since the first game's release in 1996.[115] The success of the game series led to several commercial tie-ins that further catapulted to cultural icon status,[116] including feature spin-off games, feature films, and comics.[117]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Upon release, Tomb Raider became an unexpected success with gamers, reaching the top of sales charts and remaining for a considerable time. It went on to sell over 7 million units worldwide.[59][68] Tomb Raider II was an even greater commercial success, with debut sales higher than the first game and total worldwide sales of 8 million units.[8][68] Despite varying critical receptions, series sales continued to be strong until the release of Chronicles, which sold just 1.5 million units.[68] While The Angel of Darkness met with initial strong sales, it failed to meet expectations. Since the release of Legend, the series has picked up in sales and popularity.[29] The 2013 reboot eventually sold 11 million units, becoming the most commercially successful Tomb Raider title to date.[118][119] As of 2017, the series has sold 63 million units worldwide.[120] In addition to the games' success, the 2001 movie adaptation grossed $275 million, making it the highest-grossing video game adaptation until being overtaken in 2010 by Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.[121]

text: Multiple video game journalists, including Electronic Gaming Monthly's Crispin Boyer in 1997 and Eurogamer's Martyn Carroll in 2008, have cited the series as a pioneer in the medium, both laying the foundations for and popularising action-adventure and platforming games. Carrol also credited the series for bringing video gaming out into the cultural mainstream.[68][71][122][123] In a different article, Eurogamer also cited The Angel of Darkness as a pioneer of mixing different video game genres.[124] The public's reactions to the series over the years have conversely had a profound effect upon the series' direction and identity, as noted in a 2008 review of the series' history by Develop.[29] In 2006, Tomb Raider was voted one of Britain's top 10 designs in the Great British Design Quest organised by the BBC and the Design Museum. The game appeared in a list of British design icons which included Concorde, Mini, World Wide Web, Grand Theft Auto, K2 telephone box, London tube map, AEC Routemaster bus, and the Supermarine Spitfire.[125][126]

text: The character of Lara Croft has similarly enjoyed popularity, standing out during her initial appearance in the male-dominated video game market, and continuing to stand out throughout the series' history.[29][59][68][122][123][127] After her debut in 1996, Lara Croft was famously featured on the front cover of British culture magazine The Face, a position previously only held by real-life celebrities. She similarly was featured in Irish rock band U2's PopMart Tour.[59][123] The character was inducted onto the Walk of Game in 2006,[128] and earned multiple mentions in the Guinness World Records: she was recognised as the "most successful human video game heroine" in 2006, and earned six awards in 2010. As part of the latter honours, Guinness World Records editor Gaz Deaves said that the character "epitomises all that's great about video gaming".[129][130] In an article for 1UP.com, Jeremy Parish said that Lara's sex appeal was the main draw for early fans, a facet Eidos exploited for marketing and attempted to emulate in other products. He also cited other writers' statements that her popularity stemmed from player empathy with her ability to survive tough situations, alongside contrasting against weaker female characters such as Princess Peach.[123] However, alongside this praise, she has divided opinion as to her character design and consequent sexuality: particularly among feminist critics, she is both hailed as an empowering figure for women, and a negative role model due to her improbable proportions. Later, apparently more "realistic" redesigns lessened these criticisms to a degree.[59]


document_title: Your Body Is a Wonderland

question_text: who is your body's a wonderland written about

question_tokens: who is your body 's a wonderland written about

root

text: Your Body Is a Wonderland

text: Song information[edit]

text: Mayer once said during his "As/Is" tour, that the song was about "girly parts", but this was later denied. During his "VH1 Storytellers" performance, Mayer stated that he wrote the song about his first girlfriend at age 14. The song was actually named "Strawberry Wonderland" but was later changed by Mayer.

tag: p

text: There has been speculation that Mayer wrote the song about Jennifer Love Hewitt, whom he dated in 2002, but she denied it.[1][2][3] Hewitt told Entertainment Weekly, "My body is far from a wonderland. My body is more like a pawnshop. There's a lot of interesting things put together, and if you look closely you'd probably be excited, but at first glance, not so much".[4]

text: According to the liner notes, a toy piano is used as an instrument in the song.

text: Lyrics[edit]

text: The line "I'm never speaking up again", sung in the background, is also prominently featured in the chorus to the song "My Stupid Mouth", which appears just before the song on Room For Squares.

text: Track listing[edit]

text: All songs are written by John Mayer except where noted otherwise.

text:
"Your Body Is a Wonderland" – 4:09
"No Such Thing" (Acoustic version, live from WXPN) (John Mayer & Clay Cook) – 3:46
"Your Body Is a Wonderland" (acoustic version, live from WXPN) – 5:46
"Not Myself" (demo version) – 4:05

tag: ol

text: Personnel[edit]

text:
John Mayer – vocals, guitar, toy piano, vibraphone, Korg Triton synthesizer
David LaBruyere – bass
Nir Z – drums
Brandon Bush – Wurlitzer electric piano
John Alagia – percussion, Hammond organ
Chris Fischer – congas

tag: ul

text: Reception[edit]

text: Billboard said the song showcases Mayer's "smooth, casual singing style and barroom instrumentation."[5] In 2003, "Your Body Is a Wonderland" won Mayer the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.[6] The song ranked at No. 28 on Blender magazine's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever".[7]

text: Video[edit]

text: The video starred the actress Holly Lynch. The video was directed by Jim Gable, and edited by Scott C. Wilson.

text: Appearances in the media[edit]

text: In 2006, the song was used in an episode of U.S. version of The Office, entitled "A Benihana Christmas". Characters Michael Scott and Andy Bernard sing the song as a karaoke duet. Mayer agreed to let the show use the song, in exchange for a Dundie,[8] which was for "Tallest Music Dude".

text: In the episode of Family Guy titled "Stew-Roids", Stewie sings a song in which he pronounces the word "body" like "bah-dy", which he then explains "That's how John Mayer would say it"; a reference to the pronunciation of the word in "Your Body Is a Wonderland".

text: Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer performed a rhumba to the song on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars.

text: Chart performance[edit]

text:
Chart (2001–03)
Peak
position

Australia Top 40 Digital Tracks (ARIA)
23

Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[9]
48

Germany (Media Control AG)[10]
51

New Zealand (RIANZ)
9

US Billboard Hot 100
18

US Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
3

US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
17

tag: table


document_title: Ghostbusters (2016 film)

question_text: who plays the mayor in the new ghostbusters

text: Ghostbusters (2016 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Physicists Abby Yates and Erin Gilbert are co-authors of a research book which posits the existence of paranormal phenomena, such as ghosts. Erin has disowned the work and become a professor at Columbia University, while Abby continues to study the paranormal at a technical college with eccentric engineer Jillian Holtzmann. Erin learns Abby has republished the book, threatening her bid for tenure at Columbia. She reunites with Abby and, in exchange for Abby removing the book from publication, agrees to assist her and Jillian in a paranormal investigation.

text: The group witness a malevolent ghost, restoring Erin's belief in the paranormal. A video of their investigation is posted online, and Erin is fired by the university. She joins Abby and Jillian's project, but when a new institute director learns its nature, he dismisses them. They open an office above a Chinese restaurant and call themselves the "Conductors of the Metaphysical Examination". They build equipment to study and capture ghosts, and hire the dimwitted but handsome Kevin Beckman as a receptionist.

text: MTA staffer Patty Tolan witnesses a ghost in a subway line and contacts the group. They document the ghost and successfully test Jillian's proton containment laser, but their findings are again dismissed. They continue to develop their technology and advertise their services as what pundits have dubbed the "Ghostbusters". Patty joins the team, providing historical knowledge of New York City and a repurposed hearse, "Ecto-1".

text: Unbeknownst to the Ghostbusters, the ghosts are being summoned by devices built by Rowan North, an occultist attempting to bring about the apocalypse. When Rowan plants another device at a live music venue, the Ghostbusters are called in and capture the ghost in front of the audience. When supernatural debunker Dr. Martin Heiss challenges the Ghostbusters, the incensed Erin releases the ghost as proof; it throws Heiss out of a window and escapes. The Ghostbusters are brought to Mayor Bradley and his secretary Jennifer Lynch, who reveal that the city and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are aware of New York's ghost problem. While privately supporting the team's work, the mayor's office and the DHS publicly denounce them as fraudsters.

text: The Ghostbusters realize that Rowan is planting his devices along ley lines, which intersect at the Mercado Hotel in Times Square, a site with a history of paranormal activity, and discover Rowan building a portal to the ghost dimension in the hotel basement. To avoid capture, Rowan electrocutes himself, after which Jillian deactivates the portal. Erin discovers a copy of her and Abby's book among Rowan's possessions and realizes that he killed himself so he could become a ghost and command a spirit army. Rowan returns as a powerful ghost, possessing Abby and then Kevin. As Kevin, he opens the portal and releases hundreds of ghosts. The police and DHS are subdued, but the Ghostbusters fight through the army of ghosts to reach the portal.

text: Rowan takes the form of the ghost in the Ghostbusters' logo, grows to enormous height, and attacks the city. The team devises a plan to use Ecto-1's nuclear reactor to close the portal and return the ghosts to their own dimension. The plan succeeds, but Rowan drags Abby into the portal with him; Erin leaps into the portal and rescues her as Rowan is obliterated. The mayor's office agrees to secretly fund the Ghostbusters' research while continuing to publicly denounce them as frauds. With new funding, the Ghostbusters move to a better facility, a disused fire house. New York lights up with thanks and tributes to the Ghostbusters. Patty listens to a recording of a ghost encounter and asks the others if they have heard of Zuul.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Melissa McCarthy as Dr. Abigail "Abby" Yates, a physicist and paranormal researcher who co-founds the Ghostbusters with Gilbert and Holtzmann.
Kristen Wiig as Dr. Erin Gilbert, a physicist who co-founds the Ghostbusters after she loses tenure at Columbia University.
Kate McKinnon as Dr. Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann, an eccentric engineer who co-founds the Ghostbusters and builds their equipment.
Leslie Jones as Patricia "Patty" Tolan, an MTA worker with extensive New York City knowledge who becomes the Ghostbusters' first recruit.
Chris Hemsworth as Kevin Beckman, the Ghostbusters' handsome but dimwitted secretary.
Neil Casey as Rowan North, an embittered mad scientist who unleashes ghosts on New York City.
Andy García as Mayor Bradley
Cecily Strong as Jennifer Lynch, the mayor's assistant.
Charles Dance as Harold Filmore, the Dean of the Columbia University.
Michael K. Williams as Agent Hawkins
Matt Walsh as Agent Rourke
Ed Begley Jr. as Ed Mulgrave Jr.
Steve Higgins as Thomas Shanks, the Dean of the Kenneth P. Higgins Institute.
Justin Kirk as Phil Hudson, Erin's boyfriend. (Extended Edition)
Elizabeth Perkins as Phyllis Adler (Extended Edition)
Michael McDonald as Jonathan, a theater manager.
Karan Soni as Benny, a soup deliver.
Zach Woods as Garett, a tour guide at the Aldridge Mansion.
Nate Corddry as Leif, a graffiti artist.
Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Potter, a guest in the Mercado Hotel. (Extended Edition)
Brian Baumgartner as Frank, a guest in the Mercado Hotel. (Extended Edition)
Toby Huss as Officer Stevenson
Katie Dippold as a rental agent
Jessica Chaffin as a waitress
Jamie Denbo as a waitress
Bess Rous as Gertrude Aldridge's ghost
Dave Allen as an electrocuted ghost.
Steve Bannos as a flasher ghost
Adam Ray as Slimer (voice)
Sam Richardson as Basement Cop

text: Cameos[edit]

text:
Bill Murray as Martin Heiss, a paranormal debunker.
Dan Aykroyd as a taxi driver.
Ernie Hudson as Bill Jenkins, Patty's funeral director uncle.
Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Rebecca Gorin, Holtzmann's mentor.
Annie Potts as Vanessa, the desk clerk at the Mercado Hotel.
Ivan Reitman as a passerby during a broadcast interview with Mayor Bradley.
Ozzy Osbourne as himself (listed as "Famous Rock Star")
Al Roker as himself
Pat Kiernan as himself
Greg Kelly as himself
Rosanna Scotto as herself

text: Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler (Bronze Head Bust)[11]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: A third Ghostbusters film had been in various stages of development following the release of Ghostbusters II in 1989.[12][13] Bill Murray, who played Ghostbuster Peter Venkman in the original films, was reluctant to participate as he felt Ghostbusters II had been lackluster and was critical of new scripts he had seen. Dan Aykroyd, who co-starred in and co-wrote the original films, stated that the studio was aware that "without Murray there may be nothing there" for a sequel, and was considering a way to bring on a newer generation of Ghostbusters.[14] One script, Ghostbusters 3: Hellbent, written by Aykroyd in 1999, had Venkman leaving the Ghostbusters to spend time with Sigourney Weaver's character Dana Barrett; the remaining Ghostbusters, including a new younger member, fought souls that had been evicted from a hellish version of Manhattan known as Manhelltan.[15] The Hellbent script was revised as Ghostbusters in Hell, with plans to replace Murray with Ben Stiller. The story had the Ghostbusters finding a portal to an alternate dimension in which "all the worst things about modern urban life" are "magnified"; traffic is stuck in perpetual gridlock and no two people speak the same language.[16] Another story idea had Venkman transformed into a ghost.[12]

text: The third film remained on the writing table for several years, during which Ghostbusters: The Video Game was developed by Terminal Reality and released in 2009. Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, cowriters of the original films, used the game to explore the Ghostbusters' history; all four original actors, including Murray, voiced their characters, along with other actors from the original films. Aykroyd considered the game to be "essentially the third movie".[17] The game sold over a million units, prompting Columbia to move forward on the Ghostbusters franchise. Ramis stated that the new film would feature the original Ghostbusters but introduce new characters in a script written with Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, who had cowritten his 2009 comedy Year One. The movie was set to be filmed in 2010 and released in 2011.[18][19]

text: Around March 2010, while the new script was being developed, Vulture reported that Columbia wanted to target a younger audience and that original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman was under pressure to step down in place of a younger director. New York reported that Reitman, along with Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis, had long-standing contracts in place with Columbia that effectively allow any of them to veto the development of a Ghostbusters film.[20] Murray had told GQ in 2010 that he felt the script written by Eisenberg and Stupnitsky was poor and "that dream just vaporized", but said that Columbia was pressuring him to make it.[21] Aykroyd defended the script, saying that it offered Murray "the comic role of a lifetime".[22] The script languished as they tried to resolve the disagreement, and in January 2012 Aykroyd stated that the film was in "suspended animation" as Murray was still uncooperative. Aykroyd refused to recast the role as he would not make a film that "exploits the franchise".[23] By July 2012, the Eisenberg/Stupnitsky script had been discarded and new writing staff were working on a script.[24]

text: Murray's reluctance to commit to the project resulted in the decision to reboot the franchise instead.[12][25] In 2012, Reitman suggested the option of a remake of the original Ghostbusters, allowing them to introduce a new cast.[26] Reitman later stated he was working on a Ghostbusters reboot that would be filmed during 2013, with Etan Cohen, Aykroyd, and himself working on the script,[27][28] confirmed by Aykroyd in mid-2013.[29] Following Ramis's death in February 2014, Reitman decided to leave the director role in March 2014, wanting to focus on smaller projects, but remained a producer to help Columbia and Sony find a new director for the film.[30] At this point, the script featured the original Ghostbusters in minor roles.[28]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text: Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reported in August 2014 that Paul Feig had been selected as director and the reboot would feature an all-female cast.[31][32] Feig formally announced the film and his involvement in October 2014, along with co-writer Katie Dippold,[33] and confirmed his intention to have the film "star hilarious women".[34] Feig stated that he was partly inspired by the TV series The Walking Dead,[35] adding that his goal was to "tell a story you haven't seen before. Or tell a story you've seen before, but in a way you haven't seen it."[36]

text: Feig said that Sony Entertainment's Amy Pascal had been pushing for comedy writers to produce a script for a new Ghostbusters film for some time, but he believed that most of these writers, like himself, did not want to ruin the canon of the original films. He also wanted to avoid a premise similar to Ghostbusters II, in which the Ghostbusters have to lose their success to begin a new story. This led to the idea of a reboot featuring a new set of characters, an idea that Pascal agreed with.[37]

text: Casting[edit]

text: In January 2015, Feig confirmed his intention to use Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones in the lead roles. At that point, McCarthy had already committed to the film while Sony was in negotiations with the other three actresses.[38][39] Emma Stone was approached to star but declined partly because she did not want to commit to a franchise.[40] Cecily Strong, who appears in a supporting role, was also considered for a leading role.[41] Aykroyd stated that he and his family were "delighted by this inheritance of the Ghostbusters torch by these most magnificent women in comedy."[42]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography on the film began on June 17, 2015, in Boston.[43][44] Feig and the set dressers Carolyn Lassek and Claudia Bonfe consulted with MIT physicists before shooting.[45] On June 29, 2015, Feig tweeted the costumes of the four Ghostbusters.[46] Filming also took place in Chinatown, Boston for a few days in early July 2015.[47] On August 17, 2015, Hemsworth was spotted filming some scenes on the Ghostbusters bike.[48] After finishing at the old Naval Air Station in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, filming began in Tribeca in New York City on September 12.[49][50] On September 15, filming was taking place in Waltham MA.[51] Filming also took place outside of Columbia University in New York.[50] Filming wrapped on September 19, 2015, in New York City.[52] The subway scenes were filmed on a sound stage, as there is no Seward Street station on the New York Subway map. Reshoots happened in Los Angeles in May 2016,[53] and included new scenes that served as a metafictional comment on the Internet controversy the film gathered.[8]

text: Effects[edit]

text: Six companies dealt with the 1,700 visual effects shots, under the supervision of Pete Travers. The main studios were Sony Pictures Imageworks, with 300 shots that included the climactic Times Square sequence and all the proton beams,[54] Moving Picture Company (MPC), with 250 shots that centered around the final battle which included Rowan's monster form,[54] and Australian company Iloura, with 500 shots encompassing various ghosts.[55] While the majority of the work involved computer-generated imagery, there was an attempt to use various practical effects akin to the original movies, with Travers explaining it was done "not to pay homage, but because it was the best way to achieve the effect."[56]

text: Stand-ins for the ghosts were created on the set for the actors to interact with, including actresses suspended by wires, drones as references for flying ghosts, a Slimer puppet and giant balloons for a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man parade balloon. As the ghosts in the film glow, the doubles were covered in light-emitting diodes to provide lighting references for the effects crew.[57][58]

text: The climatic Times Square sequence, which starts with the antagonist proclaiming "Welcome to the glory days of New York City", used special effects to transform it into a bygone mix of stores, buildings and billboards dating back through the decades, including Bond Clothing Store, neon signs for the defunct airlines Braniff International Airways (ended in 1982) and BOAC (ended in 1974), billboards advertising the release of the 1976 film Taxi Driver and the 1971 film Isle of the Snake People and the 1962 to 1964 Broadway theatre production of Beyond the Fringe, a combination of the Sony, Canadian Club and Coca-Cola neon signs that light up Times Square in different eras, marquees for long departed Times Square movie theatres showing XXX films and the 1971 film Fists of Fury, and other chronological anachronisms.[59]

text: Music[edit]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Soundtrack album by various artists

Released
July 15, 2016 (2016-07-15)

Recorded
2016

Genre
Soundtrack

Length
46:15

Label
RCA

Producer
Various

Ghostbusters soundtracks chronology

Ghostbusters II
(1989)Ghostbusters II1989
Ghostbusters
(2016)

Singles from Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

"Good Girls"
Released: June 3, 2016
"Saw It Coming"
Released: June 10, 2016
"Girls Talk Boys"
Released: July 15, 2016

text: Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album released on July 15, 2016, by RCA Records.[60][61] It includes singles by Elle King, G-Eazy, and 5 Seconds of Summer.

text:
No.
Title
Performed by
Length

1.
"Ghostbusters"
Walk the Moon
3:44

2.
"Saw It Coming"
G-Eazy featuring Jeremih
3:29

3.
"Good Girls"
Elle King
2:59

4.
"Girls Talk Boys"
5 Seconds of Summer
3:36

5.
"Who"
Zayn Malik
2:54

6.
"Ghostbusters"
Pentatonix
2:52

7.
"Ghoster"
Wolf Alice
2:30

8.
"Ghostbusters (I'm Not Afraid)"
Fall Out Boy featuring Missy Elliott
3:05

9.
"Get Ghost"
Mark Ronson, Passion Pit, and A$AP Ferg
3:36

10.
"Party Up (Up in Here)"
DMX
4:31

11.
"Rhythm of the Night"
DeBarge
3:50

12.
"American Woman"
Muddy Magnolias
3:01

13.
"Want Some More"
Beasts of Mayhem
2:03

14.
"Ghostbusters"
Ray Parker Jr.
4:05

Total length:
46:15

text: Charts[edit]

text:
Chart (2016)
Peak
position

Australian Albums (ARIA)[62]
21[not in citation given]

Canadian Albums (Billboard)[63]
19

US Billboard 200[64]
18

US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[65]
1

text: Score[edit]

text:
Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Score)

Film score by Theodore Shapiro

Released
July 8, 2016

Recorded
2016

Genre
Film score

Length
51:27

Label
Sony Classical

Producer
Theodore Shapiro

Theodore Shapiro film scores chronology

Central Intelligence
(2016)Central Intelligence2016
Ghostbusters
(2016)
Why Him?
(2016)Why Him?2016

text: Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Score) is the film score, composed by Theodore Shapiro.[66] It was available for digital download on July 8, 2016, and released on CD on July 15, 2016, by Sony Classical Records.[67][68]

text: All music composed by Theodore Shapiro.

text:
No.
Title
Length

1.
"The Aldridge Mansion"
2:57

2.
"The Garrett Attack"
1:29

3.
"Never Invited"
1:23

4.
"Distinct Human Form"
2:26

5.
"The Universe Shall Bend"
2:22

6.
"Subway Ghost Attack"
3:21

7.
"Ghost Girl"
0:59

8.
"Mannequins"
2:12

9.
"Ghost in a Box"
0:50

10.
"Dr. Heiss"
3:21

11.
"Ley Lines"
3:47

12.
"Pester the Living"
2:48

13.
"I Will Lead Them All"
2:16

14.
"The Power of Patty Compels You"
2:16

15.
"The Fourth Cataclysm"
3:32

16.
"Balloon Parade"
1:58

17.
"Battle of Times Square"
3:20

18.
"Entering the Mercado"
2:31

19.
"Behemoth"
3:43

20.
"Into the Portal"
3:07

21.
"NY Heart GB"
0:49

Total length:
51:27

text: Release[edit]

text: Ghostbusters premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on July 9, 2016. It was theatrically released on July 11, 2016, in the United Kingdom and on July 15, 2016, in the United States.[69] The film will not be released in the Chinese market, with sources reporting that China Film Group Corporation believed it was "not really that attractive to Chinese audiences ... Most of the Chinese audience didn't see the first and second movies, so they don't think there's much market for it here."[70]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: The first Ghostbusters trailer was released on March 3, 2016. It was viewed 24 million times in 24 hours on Facebook and YouTube,[71] and more than 60 million times across all social media platforms in its first week.[72] The logo Ghostbusters: Answer the Call was used in the third trailer.[citation needed] This was also seen in the film's end credits, but not in the opening title. Director Feig explained, "It was basically the studio realizing for the video catalogs, and that kind of thing, [there would be] two Ghostbusters. ... That sounded like Airport ‘77. The next year, you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s an old movie.’ I didn’t want to have to anchor with that, so they basically said they liked [Answer the Call]. ... I just said, ‘Don’t put it on the front of the movie. If you put it on the end, I don’t care.’”[7]

text: Original Ghostbusters cast members Murray, Aykroyd, Hudson and Potts joined the new cast on the June 8, 2016, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which was entirely dedicated to the new film.[73]

text: Sony partnered with Snapchat to promote the film with "busting" and "sliming" features. The filter, which features the Ghostbusters logo, allows users to shoot at the character Slimer with their front-facing cameras and a virtual proton pack. In addition, 10-second video teaser ads ran within Snapchat’s Discover section.[74]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Ghostbusters was released on DVD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and 4K on October 11, 2016.[75] The Blu-ray version features an extended version of the film, which features the IMAX formatted version of the film, most prominently noted during action scenes and a wider scene where they go into the portal.[citation needed]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Ghostbusters grossed $128.3 million in North America and $100.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $229.1 million.[6] With a production budget of $144 million, as well as a large amount spent on marketing, the studio stated that the film would need to gross at least $300 million to break even.[76] Before the release, director Paul Feig stated "A movie like this has to at least get to like $500 million worldwide, and that’s probably low."[77] The Hollywood Reporter estimated the film's financial losses would be over $70 million.[76][78][79] A representative of Sony found this loss estimate to be "way off," saying: "With multiple revenue streams [...] the bottom line, even before co-financing, is not even remotely close to that number."[76][78] According to Variety, sources familiar with the film's financing estimate the total loss to be about $75 million, of which, due to co-financing with Village Roadshow, Sony would lose about $50 million.[80] Sony insiders have projected, along with co-financing, a total loss of about $25 million.[80] Bloomberg News estimated the film lost $58.6 million.[81] By August 2016, sources such as Forbes and The Wall Street Journal had begun calling Ghostbusters a box office bomb.[10][82][83][84] The film's performance contributed to Sony taking a $1 billion writedown in January 2017.[85]

text: In the United States and Canada, the film opened Friday, July 15, across 3,963 theaters, earning $17.2 million on its first day,[86] including $3.4 million it made from Thursday preview screenings.[87] The film ended up earning $46 million in its opening weekend, in line with industry projections, finishing second at the box office behind The Secret Life of Pets ($50.8 million).[88] It procured the biggest opening weekend ever for director Feig and star Melissa McCarthy and was the biggest live-action comedy debut since Pitch Perfect 2 in May 2015.[89] In its second weekend the film dropped 54% to $21 million (compared to the first film increasing in its sophomore week by 11%), dropping to 5th at the box office.[90]

text: Outside North America, Ghostbusters earned $19.1 million in its opening weekend from a handful of markets on 3,900 screens. IMAX contributed $1 million from 105 IMAX screens.[91] It had number one openings in the United Kingdom and Ireland ($6.1 million), Australia ($3.7 million) and Brazil ($2.2 million).[citation needed] It debuted at number one on the DVD and Blu-ray charts after its release on home media in North America.[92]

text: In a June 2017 television appearance, Aykroyd blamed the film's underperformance on Feig. According to Aykroyd, Feig refused to shoot additional scenes requested by Aykroyd and Sony until test screenings demonstrated they were necessary, costing an additional $30-40 million in reshoots (although Sony claimed reshoots only cost $3-4 million).[93] He wrote a few days later: "Paul Feig made a good movie and had a superb cast and plenty of money to do it. We just wish he had been more inclusive to the originators. It cost everyone as it is unlikely Kristen, Leslie, Melissa and Kate will ever reprise their roles as Ghostbusters which is sad."[94]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Ghostbusters has an approval rating of 74%, based on 333 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ghostbusters does an impressive job of standing on its own as a freewheeling, marvelously cast supernatural comedy—even if it can't help but pale somewhat in comparison with the classic original."[95] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 60 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[96] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[97]

text: Manohla Dargis of The New York Times praised the film as "that rarest of big-studio offerings—a movie that is a lot of enjoyable, disposable fun."[98] In The Guardian, Nigel M. Smith awarded the film four out of five stars and wrote that the "mean-spirited reception to the film before anyone had seen it does not seem to have put a dampener on the movie itself. Fun oozes from almost every frame; likewise the energy of a team excited to be revolutionising the blockbuster landscape."[99] Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film a positive review, praising the characters but feeling CGI was overused.[100] J.R. Kinnard of PopMatters praised the performances and the lack of cynicism, but concluded that "it feels like a safe, flavorless recipe prepared from gourmet ingredients."[101] The Village Voice said the film "suffers from the anxiety of influence" of the original, but praised the actors.[102] Mara Reinstein of US Weekly gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, commending its actors but criticizing its "lazy script that takes forever to get going" and "uninspired" action sequences.[103]

text: Observer critic Mark Kermode awarded the film three out of five stars and wrote that "it would have been great to report that the finished film is good enough to shut the bigoted naysayers up once and for all ... The harsh truth is that it isn't", feeling that the film was "generally likeable but uneven."[104] Richard Lawson, writing for Vanity Fair, said the film "spends so much time doing battle with its legacy that it forgets to be its own movie, putting a talented cast to waste and marking another disappointment in this dreadful summer movie season."[105] James Berardinelli felt it was mediocre, and, like many recent comedies, "too long and not funny enough".[106] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film one out of four stars, criticizing its acting, script, and "cheesy" special effects.[107] In his radio review, Roeper said that the film was one of the worst movies of the year, rating it a D−.[108]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
List of awards and nominations

Award
Date of ceremony
Category
Recipient(s)
Result
Ref(s)

Alliance of Women Film Journalists
December 21, 2016
Actress Most in Need of a New Agent
Melissa McCarthy
Nominated
[109][110]

Remake or Sequel That Shouldn’t Have Been Made
Ghostbusters
Nominated

Annie Awards
February 4, 2017
Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Terry Bannon, Nicholas Tripodi, Daniel Fotheringham, Matt Weaver and Julien Boudou
Nominated
[111]

Black Reel Awards
February 16, 2017
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
Leslie Jones
Nominated
[112]

Critics' Choice Awards
December 11, 2016
Best Actress in a Comedy
Kate McKinnon
Nominated
[113]

Empire Awards
March 19, 2017
Best Comedy
Ghostbusters
Nominated
[114]

Hugo Awards
August 11, 2017
Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form
Katie Dippold & Paul Feig
Nominated
[115]

Kids' Choice Awards
March 11, 2017
Favorite Movie
Ghostbusters
Won
[116]

Favorite Movie Actor
Chris Hemsworth
Won

Favorite Movie Actress
Melissa McCarthy
Won

Kristen Wiig
Nominated

Favorite Squad
Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones
Nominated

People's Choice Awards
January 18, 2017
Favorite Comedic Movie
Ghostbusters
Nominated
[117]

Favorite Comedic Movie Actress
Melissa McCarthy
Won

Kristen Wiig
Nominated

Favorite Comedic Movie Actor
Chris Hemsworth
Nominated

Saturn Awards
June 28, 2017
Best Fantasy Film
Ghostbusters
Nominated
[118]

Best Supporting Actress
Kate McKinnon
Nominated

Teen Choice Awards
July 31, 2016
Choice Summer Movie
Ghostbusters
Nominated
[119]

Choice Summer Movie Star: Female
Melissa McCarthy
Nominated

Kristen Wiig
Nominated

Choice Summer Movie Star: Male
Chris Hemsworth
Nominated

Women Film Critics Circle
December 19, 2016
Best Comedic Actress
Kate McKinnon
Won
[120]

Best Ensemble
The cast of Ghostbusters
Nominated

Best Female Action Hero
The women of Ghostbusters
Won

text: Controversy[edit]

text: Ghostbusters received criticism from social media users following word of Feig's involvement and the all-female cast, which some felt was a "gimmick".[121] On its first day of release, the first trailer for the film collected 12,000 "likes" and 13,800 "dislikes" from YouTube viewers which, according to David Griner of Ad Week made it "one of the most polarizing in recent memory".[122] By May 2016, the trailer had become the most disliked film trailer on YouTube[123] and the ninth-most disliked YouTube video, with 280,000 likes to over one million dislikes.[124][125][126] ScreenCrush described the reaction as a campaign "to downvote [the film] into oblivion" by "a certain subset of people on the internet [with] an unhealthy fixation with hating on the Ghostbusters remake".[123][127] In one interview, Melissa McCarthy felt it was a "very, very, very tiny, tiny group of people" who were misogynistic.[128] Other reasons proposed for the negative reaction to the trailer included a lack of interest in reboots, nostalgia for the original film, and a perceived lack of humor in the trailer.[129]

text: Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times suggested that fans felt "entitled" to a film that preserved the franchise as they imagined it.[130] In an interview with Mashable, Ivan Reitman said “I think there’s way too much talk about gender [when it comes to this film]" and "I think that many of the people who were complaining were actually lovers of the [original] movie, not haters of women.”[131] Some saw the portrayal of Leslie Jones' character, a "street-smart New Yorker", as a stereotype of African Americans.[132][133][134] Jones responded to this criticism on Twitter writing, "Why can't a regular person be a Ghostbuster?"[135] However, journalists from The Washington Post and The Atlantic stated that a majority of the criticism constituted misogynist and anti-feminist comments in regard to the all-female cast.[129][136] Wiig was "bummed out" that "there was so much controversy because we were women."[137] Feig said he believed a group of fans had "real issues with women. But there’s also a huge group of people who are just concerned about the property, and I completely understand. I’m completely sympathetic to that."[37] In May 2016, additional scenes were shot for the film which served as a meta-reference to the Internet controversy. In those scenes, the characters upload a video to YouTube and react to unpleasant comments left by viewers.[8]

text: Filmmaker James Rolfe, creator of the Angry Video Game Nerd series, declared that he would not see the new film and disliked how it was based in a new universe with no continuity to the previous films.[129][138] Brooks Barnes of The New York Times and Daniel Friedman of Polygon considered Rolfe's views an example of "fan entitlement", criticising his haste to judge the film without seeing it and his lack of concern for other remakes of franchises he admired, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.[139][140] Rolfe became the subject of personal attacks online for his position;[139][140] according to commentators for The Washington Post, Salon, and Polygon, though Rolfe had not mentioned gender, many people considered his motivation misogynist.[129][141][142] Richard Roeper's negative review of the film was also met with criticism on social media and from Salon, who accused him of male bias. Roeper responded: "How insulting would it be to give a film a pass because of good intentions and diversity in the casting? That’s not equal treatment; that’s condescension."[143] Journalists from The Atlantic and NBC News saw the controversy as part of the culture war and gender divide engaged across social media. They, along with Feig, noted commonalities to the events and reactions of the Gamergate controversy in video games.[129][140][144]

text: Following the release of the film, cast member Leslie Jones became the target of racist and sexist abuse on Twitter.[145][146] A number of users, including Feig, showed support for Jones and criticized Twitter's handling of the situation.[147] Feig tweeted: "Fuck the haters. And haters, attack me all you want but when you attack and insult my cast, you've crossed the line. Grow up and leave my cast alone."[148][149] On July 19, Twitter suspended the account of the then Breitbart writer Milo Yiannopoulos, who had criticized Jones, allegedly for abusive behavior over the previous 48 hours.[150] Conversely, Jones and her character in the film were also accused of promoting negative stereotypes about black people.[151][152][153][154]

text: Future of the franchise[edit]

text: After its opening weekend, Sony's president of worldwide distribution, Rory Bruer, told TheWrap that "while nothing has been officially announced, there's no doubt in my mind [a sequel] will happen." He also said that Ghostbusters is expected to become an important Sony franchise.[155] The principal cast and director had signed on for two sequels.[76]

text: On August 10, 2016, The Hollywood Reporter expressed doubts about a sequel due to the film's box office performance.[76][78] Box office analyst Jeff Bock said, "I just can't fathom the creative talents behind it—Feig, McCarthy, Wiig, etc—slogging out another one when the reception to the first one was so mediocre."[76]

text: In an October 2016 interview, Feig told Bustle that a sequel was not in the works, but could be possible if the film performed well on its home release.[156] By November, Feig confirmed that a direct sequel would not be made due to the film's mediocre box office performance.[157] The same month, Reitman stated in an interview that other Ghostbusters projects were in development.[158] Prior to Reitman's announcement, an animated series, Ghostbusters: Ecto Force, was stated to be targeting an early 2018 debut.[159] Reitman further clarified plans for future animated films within the Ghostbusters franchise during the July 2017 San Diego Comic Con, including having one set from the viewpoint of the ghosts rather than the Ghostbusters, as well as a work to potentially tie in to the 35th anniversary of the original film in 2019.[160]

text: In December 2016, IDW Publishing announced that it would release a six-part limited series comic, Ghostbusters 101, featuring the original Ghostbusters teaming up with the 2016 team. The first issue was released in March 2017.[161] A five issue limited series called Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, which continues the adventures of the 2016 team, was announced in July 2017 and is scheduled to begin in October.[162]