10 Movies That Tried To Exploit Nostalgia (And Failed)

Paul Feig's Ghostbusters was absolutely slaughtered by a section of the online fanbase from the very second it was announced, and when it finally hit theaters one thing became clear; never has the internet lost its collective sh*t for such a mediocre movie.

Given how heavily the property has been merchandised for the last 35 years, the Ghostbusters brand is hardly sacred, so the vitriol aimed at Feig's reboot was nothing short of ridiculous. However, despite some decent work from the four leads, the movie wasn't exactly a home run.

Rebooting such a popular movie is a tricky balancing act as the filmmakers need to respect the original without relying on it too much, while also creating something that stands on its own merits. This is where 2016's Ghostbusters failed, as the improv-heavy style meshed awkwardly with the reverence shown to Ivan Reitman's 1984 classic, with even the opening scenes of each movie ending in near-identical fashion.

Cameos from Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver, Slimer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Zuul didn't exactly assuage the notion that the reboot was coasting on the reputation of the original. It wasn't the childhood-destroying nightmare many fans claimed would be, but it did end up as a huge box office bomb and is estimated to have lost Columbia Pictures up to $125m.

That Fall Out Boy/Missy Elliott version of the classic theme song can f**k right off, though.