‘Bill brought beast mode to Ghostbusters’ – Laughing along with wickedly funny reboot

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LOS ANGELES, July 14, (Agencies): It takes all of 30 seconds for Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon to start cracking each other up — and anyone else lucky enough to be in the room with all that infectious energy.

The three “Ghostbusters” stars, minus Kristen Wiig who was sick, share some of their favorite stories about Bill Murray, their friendship in interviews with The Associated Press.

Associated Press: What did you think about the ensemble?

McKinnon: (Director) Paul (Feig) picked people who would complement each other. Someone was the chicken, someone was the mashed parsnips, someone was the gravy and someone was the roll. I don’t know which one I was, but everyone served their function.

AP: Kate and Leslie, this was your first big movie. What was that like?

McKinnon: I love Leslie, but Melissa and Kristen were two of my all-time comedy heroes. I was just like, ‘I’m just going to watch for a few days. See how it’s done.’

AP: Melissa, did you feel like the expert?

McCarthy: Oh, for god sake’s, no. I just feel like someone has put roller skates on my feet and sent me out into an ice rink. I’m always like, ‘Oh god! I’ve got the wrong shoes on!’ I’m just trying not to fall.

AP: What was it like having Bill Murray there?

Jones: He brought beast mode.

McCarthy: It was a little surreal.

McKinnon: I didn’t speak. I was like, ‘I’m in a room with Bill Murray. What strange sequence of events has taken place that’s brought me in the same room as Bill Murray?’

Jones: My favorite scene was when (McCarthy’s character) was arguing with Bill, and I’m like, ‘That’s right! You tell him!’ And then I realized, ‘Oh, you’re not watching a movie.’

McCarthy: I think you said, ‘That’s right, Melissa.’ And I’m like, ‘We’re in character, babe.’

AP: Was Chris Hemsworth able to hold his own?

McCarthy: He is a remarkable improviser.

McKinnon: His job interview scene has eight days of footage because he was saying the funniest things I’ve ever heard in rapid succession for hours. We met in the bathroom and were like ‘does he have writers?’

McCarthy: Truly! And it was like, OK that’s totally fine. What a prepared actor.

Jones: I was dying, I was laughing so hard.

AP: What would you want Kristen to talk about if she was here?

Jones: All the activities.

McKinnon: There were many activities. She would often, an hour before we were about to finish, say, ‘Oh, I’m going to be late to my ukulele session,’ or ‘I have to cancel my knitting class.’

Jones: Tennis.

McCarthy: Canoeing! She’s a real renaissance woman.

Wiig (Later, by phone): I did bring my ukulele. I was doing a lot of that. And I was taking tennis lessons and would kayak and paddleboard or go to the vineyard. It was Boston in the summer, it was beautiful!

AP: The rest of you didn’t fill your downtime with hobbies?

McCarthy: By the end of the day, I was like, I need some … .

McCarthy: Oooooooh god.

McKinnon: I forgot about that!

Jones: That was the best chain text ever.

McCarthy: Were we all in the tub? In my head we were all in bathtubs. In separate tubs. In separate hotel rooms. Was it just me?

Jones: It was just you.

McKinnon: She’s erected scaffolding around this memory.

Jones: You’re trying to black out the details.

Also:

LOS ANGELES: The female-led “Ghostbusters” reboot is Fandango’s top pre-selling live-action comedy of the year.

The online ticket service said Wednesday that “Ghostbusters” is outpacing “Central Intelligence,” “Ride Along 2” and others at the same point in the sales cycle.

Sony is forecasting an opening in the $38 million to $40 million range in the US while other box office trackers have forecast a launch that’s closer to $50 million. “Central Intelligence” opened with $35.5 million and “ Ride Along 2” debuted with $35.2 million.

“Ghostbusters” is also the top Fandango pre-seller among the four movies that teamed director Paul Feig with Melissa McCarthy, which include “Bridesmaids,” “The Heat” and “Spy.” The title also edged out Illumination-Universal’s “The Secret Life of Pets” as the summer’s most anticipated comedy in a survey of Fandango users.

The second weekend of “The Secret Life of Pets” will probably take in around $55 million. It opened with $104.4 million and then added $11.7 million on Monday.

LOS ANGELES: “Ghostbusters” is unlikely to score a release in China, sources confirm to Variety.

It’s bad news for the $144 million comedy, which needs to do well globally to make back its hefty budget. Though “Ghostbusters” hasn’t officially been screened for Chinese officials, its subject matter will likely run afoul of the country’s censors, according to an insider. The state-controlled film board does not approve of films that promote cults or superstitious beliefs. In the past, movies that focus on the paranormal, such as last fall’s “Crimson Peak,” have been unable to secure a berth in the country.

To try to assuage censors, Sony has cooked up a new title for “Ghostbusters” — it’s now known as “Super Power Dare-to-Die Team.” China continues to be a critical source of revenues for major Hollywood blockbusters. It is expected to bypass the United States as the top market for film by 2017. This year alone, films such as “Warcraft” and “Zootopia” have made north of $200 million at the Chinese box office.

Domestically, “Ghostbusters” is suffering some fierce headwinds. Reviews have been solid, but the decision to reboot the series with a new cast that includes Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, has been controversial. Sony projects a $38 million to $40 million debut in the US, though some box office tracking services are forecasting a launch that’s closer to $50 million.

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