Ghostbusters - Watch Order: Release Order

Other Watch Orders:
1984 - 20245 Films9h 31m3.7 Average

The Ghostbusters franchise began as a popular supernatural comedy in 1984, spawning a direct sequel five years later with the original cast returning. The series took an unexpected turn in 2016 with a complete reboot featuring an entirely new cast and storyline, serving as a standalone entry with no connection to the original films.

In 2021, the franchise returned to its roots with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which is a legacy sequel that continues directly from the original two films while ignoring the 2016 reboot. Frozen Empire follows as a direct continuation of this restored timeline.

1
Ghostbusters poster

Ghostbusters

19841h 47m4.4
Director: Ivan Reitman
Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis

After losing their academic posts at a prestigious university, a team of parapsychologists goes into business as proton-pack-toting "ghostbusters" who exterminate ghouls, hobgoblins and supernatural pests of all stripes. An ad campaign pays off when a knockout cellist hires the squad to purge her swanky digs of demons that appear to be living in her refrigerator.

ComedyFantasy
2
Ghostbusters II poster

Ghostbusters II

19891h 48m3.7
Director: Ivan Reitman
Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis

Having lost their status and credibility five years after covering New York City with gooey roasted marshmallows in Ghostbusters (1984), the city's former heroes and once-popular spirit-hunters struggle to keep afloat, forced to work odd jobs. However, when Dana and her baby have yet another terrifying encounter with the paranormal, it is up to Peter Venkman and his fearless team of supernatural crime fighters to step up and save the day. Once more, humankind is in danger, as rivers of slimy psycho-reactive ectoplasm, paired with the dreadful manifestation of evil sixteenth-century tyrant Vigo the Carpathian, threaten to plunge the entire city into darkness. Is the world ready to believe? Can the Ghostbusters save us for the second time?

ComedyFantasy
3
Ghostbusters poster

Ghostbusters

20161h 57m2.7
Director: Paul Feig
Cast: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth

Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat.

ActionFantasyComedy
4
Ghostbusters: Afterlife poster

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

20212h 4m4.3
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Bokeem Woodbine, Paul Rudd

When single mom Callie and her two kids Trevor and Phoebe arrive in a small Oklahoma town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

FantasyComedyAdventureScience Fiction
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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire poster

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

20241h 55m3.6
Director: Gil Kenan
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Dan Aykroyd

When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

FantasyAdventureComedy