It's no secret that Ghostbusters has remained an iconic cultural touchstone since its 1984 debut. After all, the film inspired an unending stream of tie-in products -- ranging from Hi-C Ecto Coolers to cartoons. Of course, that raises questions of how far the idea can stretch, and how big those tie-in products can become. On that note, I recently sat down with Dan Aykroyd at an event to celebrate the launch of a new line of Ghostbusters-inspired Reebok Classics in Los Angeles ahead of Stranger Things Season 2. When I asked him if a Ghostbusters theme park could potentially work, Aykroyd lit up and said:
Absolutely. You could put Ecto in a setting in New York City on a track, and put your passengers riding on top of it with cannons. Proton cannons, or riding in the side like a door gunner. And you could have, maybe one Ecto could have maybe ten people, and then go on this track, and then maybe like a video game, [you] shoot targets. Or like Hogan's Alley. Some targets are friendly and some are not. Yeah, and then get a full slime experience at the end. I can see where you could have a scene in a haunted subway, and you could have the subway go through the passengers in the Ecto, with some of the holographic stuff they're doing today.
You can probably get a pretty clear understanding of what Dan Aykroyd wants to see in a potential Ghostbusters-inspired theme park from that description. Taking a cue from locales like Disneyland, he wants to see fully-engaging attractions that embrace the New York City atmosphere of the films and create a sense of interaction with the ghosts. With something as cool as that, all we will need to worry about is the wait times.
One thing worth highlighting here is the sheer amount of enthusiasm with which Dan Aykroyd described this idea during our conversation. Just reading it doesn't entirely convey how clearly he has thought this concept out. Over thirty years after the release of Ghostbusters, and it's clear that he continues to have a burning passion for the franchise and its expanding fanbase.
This is not an unreasonable idea to pitch when we consider what other major franchises are doing in the world of experiential entertainment. Both Star Wars and Avatar are about to get their own dedicated theme park attractions, and Warner Bros. is even in the process of developing fully-immersive replicas of Gotham City and Metropolis in an upcoming WB park in Abu Dhabi. Ghostbusters is easily one of the most beloved and recognizable franchises in film history, so there's no apparent reason not to give the idea a shot.
CinemaBlend will bring you more information about the future of the Ghostbusters brand as new details become available to us. Until then, check out our 2017 movie premiere guide and our 2018 movie premiere guide. To see even more impressive Ghostbusters homages, make sure to watch Stranger Things Season 2 when it debuts on Netflix tomorrow, October 27!
While the Ghostbusters-inspired theme park is currently just a fantasy, make sure to click over to the next page to see even more photos from last night's Ghostbusters/Stranger Things shoe launch in Los Angeles!
This poll is no longer available.
