Ghostbusters: Afterlife holds surprise screening at NYCC... and the fan reaction is scary good

What could be better than attending a Ghostbusters: Afterlife panel crammed with all the movie’s big names, from director Jason Reitman to stars Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon and more? How about attending that same panel — only to find out you’re about to be treated to a full early screening of the finished movie?

That’s just what happened at New York Comic Con on Friday, as media and fans were among the stunned lucky few to catch Sony Pictures’ surprise sneak peek at the hugely anticipated next chapter in the Ghostbusters movie-verse, a full month ahead of the theatrical release. As soon as the credits rolled, the audience leapt to their feet to give Afterlife a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man-sized standing ovation…and then they headed straight to social media, to share their fresh-from-the-theater reactions.

Longtime Ghostbusters fans hoping for a spiritual successor to the Ivan Reitman-directed movies of the 1980s aren’t likely to be let down, if the effusive love flowing across Twitter is any indication. Aside from being stoked at the surprise screening, NYCC fans appear to be super-stoked at how Ghostbusters: Afterlife taps into its classic franchise DNA.

“It means everything to me,” Jason Reitman said when asked about his thoughts on the theatrical experience. “And look, I love streaming as much as everybody else and it certainly helped me get through the pandemic. But I love movies. We wanted to make a movie that could be enjoyed like this. We wanted to make a movie that could be enjoyed with a huge audience, with popcorn on a big screen with incredible sound where you’re experiencing it the way you experienced the movie in ’84.”

Here’s just a small sampling of fans’ instant responses on Twitter — and don't worry — there are no spoilers here:

SYFY WIRE was in the room for the full Ghostbusters: Afterlife panel at NYCC, catching all the insights from both director Jason Reitman and his father Ivan Reitman (who’s returning as a producer this time out) as well as the rest of the cast. Check out our full panel coverage here, and then fire up the Ecto-1 before Ghostbusters: Afterlife bounds into theaters for everyone starting Friday, Nov. 19.

Click here for SYFY WIRE’s full coverage of New York Comic Con 2021