All the 'Ghostbusters' movies ranked from worst to best before the new film, 'Frozen Empire'

• There have been four "Ghostbusters" movies since 1984.
• The original "Ghostbusters" cast returns in 2024's "Frozen Empire."
• Here's all the "Ghostbusters" movies, ranked from worst to best.

There's something strange in the neighborhood… Yes, "Ghostbusters" is back.

"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," which is out on March 22, brings together the leading cast from the original 1984 movie with the younger batch of paranormal investigators from 2021's "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," to fight a new demonic threat.

Whichever Sony executive pitched the idea of fan favorites Bill Murray and Paul Rudd fighting ghosts together needs a pay rise. They're also joined by Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, McKenna Grace, and Finn Wolfhard.

The original "Ghostbusters" is considered one of the most iconic movies of the 1980s, and the franchise has raked in $944 million worldwide, according to The Numbers.com.

And unless "Frozen Empire" bombs spectacularly at the box office, it should push the total over $1 billion.

If you're wondering which of the four "Ghostbusters" movies to catch up on first, here they are ranked from worst to best.

4. Paul Feig’s "Ghostbusters"

Look, there's no getting around it — Paul Feig's "Ghostbusters" isn't as good as the rest of the franchise. That doesn't necessarily mean the 2016 movie — which is not connected to the other films — is as bad as the internet makes out, it just tried too hard to reinvent the franchise rather than just continue it.

Making the villain a demonic version of the ghost in the iconic logo didn't work at all, and his motivations for unleashing a horde of spirits into New York were paper-thin at best.

The cast's comedic talents really carry the movie — Kate McKinnon delivers a particularly scene-stealing performance as Jillian Holtzman — but some of the jokes are pretty groan-worthy.

Still, it's not as bad as you might remember.

3. "Ghostbusters II"

"Ghostbusters II" was released in 1989, five years after the original movie. The team may have saved New York from Gozer (Slavitza Jovan), but their fame quickly subsides, and when the sequel kicks off, they're out of business.

Unfortunately, the biggest crime committed by "Ghostbusters II" is that it's so unmemorable — other than the haunted painting and a river of pink slime. There's no standout moment or classic joke; it just exists.

Hell, audiences should be gobsmacked when the Statue of Liberty starts walking the streets of New York. But it falls flat because the Stay Puft Marshmallow did the same thing in the first film.

Obviously, it's fun to see Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), Peter Venkman (Murray), Ray Stantz (Akroyd), and Winston Zeddemore (Hudson) bantering with each other again. But it's mediocre fun.

2. "Ghostbusters: Afterlife"

In an age of sequels, prequels, and reboots, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" stands head and shoulders above the rest. It sees Egon's estranged family move into his old house in Oklahoma, where they discover his past as a Ghostbuster before figuring out why he was living in the middle of nowhere in the first place.

By taking the action away from New York, director Jason Reitman managed to capture the wonder and excitement of the original movie while making it feel fresh and exciting.

Sure, the nostalgia bait cameos from the old team are delightful, but the new characters make it so compelling.

Phoebe Spengler, Egon's granddaughter (McKenna Grace) is the story's focal point, and it's so much fun to see her investigating the mystery behind Egon. Anyone who doesn't shed a tear when she teams up with her grandfather's ghost in the climax needs to be locked away in a ghost trap.

1. "Ghostbusters"

1984's "Ghostbusters" is a pop culture behemoth that still gets audiences into theaters 40 years later.

Yes, the stupidly catchy theme song might be the first that comes to mind when people think of "Ghostbusters," but it's so much more than that.

Its visual effects are impressive for the time — and the librarian ghost is still scarier than the villains and monsters in some modern movies. Director Ivan Reitman delivers a perfect blend of horror and humor with the likes of Slimer, the demon dogs, and Gozer the Gozerian.

Although the slapstick comedy might not be to everyone's taste, the team dynamic between Murray, Ramis, Akroyd, and Hudson is an absolute treat.

And yes, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's crusade of terror through the streets of New York is infinitely better than the Statue of Liberty in "Ghostbusters II."

Basically, "Ghostbusters" is an undeniable classic.

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