Paul Feig Thinks 'Ghostbusters' Remake Became Too Much Of A 'Cause'

Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Kristen Wiig in the titular roles came last year's big screen 'Ghostbusters' reboot. Mixed reviews came in for the flick, and a portion of the franchise's original fanbase were so against the idea of an all-female leading cast that they made YouTube history, giving the film's official trailer the most dislikes in history.

'Ghostbusters' all-female cast didn't impress everybody 

It was a sad moment for feminists and those who wish to see equality within the entertainment industry, but one that pushed the film into becoming a cause and rallying cry for women, rather than just being a movie to go and watch and enjoy.

That's something director Paul Feig picked up on, and he says that this is part of the reason the film didn't take in much more at the box office. Though it made a profit after taking in just over $229 million, it didn't seem much after coming off an estimated budget of $144 million.

Speaking at Vulture Festival in Los Angeles this month, the filmmaker opened up about why he thinks the film didn't do as well as he had hoped, explaining: "I think it kind of hampered us a little bit because the movie became so much of a cause. I think for some of our audience, they were like, ‘What the f***? We don’t wanna go to a cause. We just wanna watch a f***in’ movie.’ It was a great regret in my life that the movie didn’t do better, ’cause I really loved it. It’s not a perfect movie. None of my movies are perfect. I liked what we were doing with it. It was only supposed to be there to entertain people."

Now, with the future of the series up in the air, there are reports of Sony Pictures and co-creator Dan Aykroyd pursuing a live-action Netflix series or animated adaptation. How successful they'll be, however, remains to be seen.

More: Bill Murray Was Set To Be Killed Off In 'Ghostbusters 3'

A sequel to last year's 'Ghostbusters' has been shelved, but we'll bring you news of it if that ever changes as and when we get it.