Dan Aykroyd comes from an extended line of non secular folks. A few of these relations can be described as “mediums,” some have been merely non secular folks searching for solutions. Dan’s grandfather claimed he might talk with the lifeless via the radio. His mom claimed she might see ghosts. When his father discovered his mom noticed ghosts, they started conducting séances within the household basement after Dan and his little brother went to mattress. Dan would peek down into the basement in the course of the séances from a crack within the door, hoping to see a ghost.
Dan’s father, who in the course of the day labored as a civil engineer and advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (Justin Trudeau’s father), really wrote a ebook about his experiences and analysis on the paranormal. The ebook was titled “A Historical past of Ghosts.”
That is the household historical past that gave beginning to an concept for a movie. An concept that may finally generate billions on the field workplace whereas spawning a number of sequels, comedian books, a cartoon, and rather more, whereas additionally bringing the ghost style again from the lifeless. This concept additionally earned Dan and his co-stars a small fortune…
(Picture by Mathis Wienand/Getty Photographs)
As you in all probability know, Dan Aykroyd first turned well-known due to “Saturday Evening Stay.” He was the youngest member of the unique forged. He left the present in 1979 after 4 seasons. The next 12 months, Dan and John Belushi, his greatest good friend from SNL, co-starred in “The Blues Brothers,” which Dan additionally co-wrote. The Blues Brothers was a smash hit, incomes over $115 million on the field workplace, considerably greater than its $27 million price range.
Whereas he was filming “The Blues Brothers,” Dan had the very beginnings of an concept for a film that tapped his innate ardour for paranormal occasions and his newfound comedy stardom. The pitch was easy:
Dan Aykroyd + Eddie Murphy + John Belushi operating round New York Metropolis making an attempt to seize ghosts.
Studio executives have been extremely and wanting to see a script. Tragically, the prospects for this authentic iteration ended when John Belushi died of a drug overdose on March 5, 1982.
Shedding his greatest good friend and artistic accomplice left Dan emotionally paralyzed. Associates would later recall that he barely laughed or smiled for a 12 months. Fortunately, Dan’s artistic spark did finally return, and he was quickly tinkering with that paranormal screenplay concept once more.
At some point in early 1983, Dan known as up his agent, Michael Ovitz, the principal accomplice on the highly effective Inventive Arts Company. As recounted in Ovitz’s biography, “Who Is Michael Ovitz?”, on that cellphone name, Dan pitched an concept for a film. The pitch had grow to be:
Dan Aykroyd + Invoice Murray + Harold Ramis chasing ghosts round New York Metropolis.
Ovitz cherished the idea and was positive it will be a sizzling property.
Dan and Harold Ramis co-wrote the screenplay in two weeks. They even had Ivan Reitman (producer of “Animal Home” and director of “Stripes”) on board to direct.
Columbia Photos rapidly snapped up the rights. However there was a catch that Ovitz and CAA insisted Columbia comply with…
(Picture by Columbia Photos/Getty Photographs)
Mike Ovitz was essentially the most highly effective individual in Hollywood within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties. CAA was essentially the most highly effective company. Invoice Murray and Dan Aykroyd have been two of the most important stars on the planet. Harold Ramis was essentially the most in-demand comedy movie author on the planet. Ramis’ first 4 motion pictures as a screenwriter have been 1978’s “Animal Home” (which grossed $141 million on a price range of $3 million and is technically the most worthwhile film in movie historical past), 1979’s “Meatballs,” 1980’s “Caddyshack,” and 1981’s “Stripes” (the latter three all starred Invoice Murray).
So we have been speaking a couple of assassin’s row of comedy and star energy.
In an effort to safe the rights to this new film, which had been titled “Ghostbusters,” Columbia needed to agree to provide 30% of the movie’s gross income to Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis, and the director Ivan Reitman. CAA itself received 3% for packaging all the pieces collectively in a neat little field.
Ghostbusters went on to gross $295 million on the world field workplace. Within the following years, it was a large hit on VHS and was licensed to numerous networks for replays.
In response to Michael Ovitz’s autobiography, CAA’s 3% stake finally generated $30 million for the company.
The 30% stake shared by Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis, and Reitman finally generated…
$300 million
That is $75 million per individual… within the mid-Nineteen Eighties. Adjusting for inflation, that is the identical as every individual incomes….
$200 million
And that wasn’t the top of it.
As you realize, there was a “Ghostbusters” sequel, nevertheless it took 5 years for the second installment to start filming. A five-year interval the place Columbia was determined for one more hit, and all of the principals received much more well-known. So when the celebrities lastly aligned once more, CAA scored the group an excellent sweeter deal.
In response to Ovitz’s autobiography, for the sequel, Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis, and Reitman would cut up 35% of the movie’s field workplace gross on high of every incomes $6 million upfront salaries.
“Ghostbusters II” generated $215 million on the field workplace and was simply as fashionable on residence video and community licensing as the unique.
Simply to be conservative, for example this time round, the 4 principals every earned “simply” $50 million from all sources because it did carry out barely worse on the field workplace. After adjusting for inflation, that is the identical as every individual making…
$110 million
So if you add all of it up, earlier than adjusting for inflation, Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis, and Reitman every conservatively earned $125 million from the primary two Ghostbusters motion pictures. After adjusting for inflation, they every earned the fashionable equal of…
