The film stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as three eccentric parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis co-star as a client and her neighbor, and Ernie Hudson as the Ghostbusters' first recruit.
Aykroyd conceived the film as a project for himself and fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus John Belushi , with the "Ghostmashers" travelling through time and space. He and Ramis dramatically rewrote the script following Belushi's death and after Reitman deemed Aykroyd's initial vision financially impractical.
Ghostbusters was released in the United States on June 8, 1984. It was a critical and commercial success, receiving a positive response from critics and audiences and grossing US$242 million in the United States and more than $295 million worldwide. It was nominated for two Oscars at the 57th Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song (for the eponymous theme song), but lost to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Woman in Red respectively.
A reboot starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones was released in July 2016 but received negative reviews and was a box office bomb.
An official sequel to the original films titled Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released on November 19, 2021. A fourth film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, was released on March 22, 2024.
