Back in the mid-2010s, the idea of pairing director Paul Feig with comedy superstar Melissa McCarthy seemed like a guaranteed win. The duo had already delivered a string of box office hits, from Bridesmaids to The Heat and Spy, collectively grossing around $1 billion worldwide. So when Sony tapped them to revive the beloved Ghostbusters franchise, it looked like a no-brainer. The result, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, became one of the most talked-about—and controversial—reboots in recent memory. Now, the film is about to vanish from Netflix, giving subscribers one last chance to see what all the fuss was about.
Feig and McCarthy were joined by an all-star cast including Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Chris Hemsworth in a hilarious against-type role as the team's dimwitted receptionist. The script, co-written by Feig and Katie Dippold (who later created the acclaimed Apple TV+ series Widow's Bay), aimed to honor the original while carving out a fresh identity. But from the moment the first teaser dropped, the project faced an unprecedented wave of online backlash. The trailer became the most downvoted in YouTube history at the time, a harbinger of the toxic storm that would follow.
The backlash wasn't just about the movie itself—it was a flashpoint in the culture wars. Many of the attacks were fueled by misogyny and bias, targeting the film's female-led cast and its inclusive spirit. This was one of the earliest and most prominent examples of review-bombing, a phenomenon that has since become all too common in the digital age. Despite the noise, the film actually received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a Certified Fresh score of 74%, with the consensus praising it as a "freewheeling, marvelously cast supernatural comedy" that stands on its own, even if it can't quite match the original.
Financially, Answer the Call was a disappointment. With a reported budget of $144 million, it grossed $229 million worldwide—a solid number, but far below studio expectations. The film's struggles had a ripple effect across Hollywood, making studios wary of female-led reboots and fan-driven properties. Sony ultimately decided to pivot, rebooting the franchise again with Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021, which took a more nostalgic approach.
Now, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call is set to leave Netflix on October 1, 2026. If you haven't seen it—or want to revisit it with fresh eyes—this is your last chance to stream it on the platform. It's a fascinating time capsule of a moment when internet culture collided with blockbuster filmmaking, and it's worth watching for that reason alone.
For more streaming departures, check out Clint Eastwood's western classic and Paul Rudd's Clueless, both also leaving Netflix in October. And if you're in the mood for more supernatural comedy, Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman's The Fifth Element is another must-watch before it departs.
Whether you loved it, hated it, or never got around to it, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call remains a pivotal chapter in franchise history. Don't miss your chance to see it before it's gone.
