A shot of Fort Macleod's Empress Theatre in the first 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' trailer (Supplied by Sony Pictures Entertainment)

By Justin Goulet

Fort Macleod planning ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ premiere

Feb 24, 2020 | 4:40 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – It’s time to bust some ghosts in Fort Macleod.

The southern Alberta town is planning to host a premiere of the upcoming ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ film this summer. The movie was partly filmed in the community.

Sue Keenan, Fort Macleod’s Chief Administrative Officer, said the town has been in discussion with Sony Canada to host a special screening of the film, which is a sequel to the popular ‘Ghostbusters’ films of the 1980s.

She said there is no exact date set in stone yet, but she expects the event to take place following the movie’s premieres in New York and Los Angeles.

One of the highlights of the film’s trailer, which can be viewed below, is a clear shot of the Empress Theatre, a Fort Macleod landmark.

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Keenan said the hope is for the premiere to serve as a fundraiser, with funds going towards new flooring and seating at the Empress Theatre.

“It’s a big undertaking and cost substantial dollars, so this was one of those ways we thought would be very beneficial [to raise funds],” she told LNN, nothing additional funds could potentially go towards the modernization of the Fort Macleod pool.

“Council hasn’t finalized their deliberations on that yet, so we’ll just have to take a wait and see approach.”

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A committee comprised of members of the Empress Theatre Society, the local Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Fort Macleod will meet Tuesday (Feb. 25) at 3:00 p.m. to discuss further plans for the premiere. Keenan said she anticipates at least one meeting per month until July to discuss the event.

She added that she definitely wants the premiere to have some ‘Hooray for Hollywood’ magic.

“There could potentially be a red carpet and I know the Calgary Ghostbusters group is interested in coming down and being part of the day and the evening festivities. We’re actually going to put on a very first-class, first-rate event on that particular night,” she said.

Right now, the idea is to close down Main Street completely for the premiere and host the screening at the Empress Theatre.

“It will be an evening so that we are the least disruptive to our local businesses as we can [be], and they’ve been so gracious for all of the filming we’ve done here,” Keenan said, adding the hope is to start selling tickets for the event by the end of March.

On the impact the film industry has had on the small town, Keenan said it’s become a “big part” of Fort Macleod’s diversified economy.

“We’ve been very fortunate. We have such a historical town [and] it’s always nice to have filmmakers here,” she remarked.

“Our residents and businesses, I think, will be all over this and my hope is that this event will sell out quickly and if things go well, we’re hoping that Sony Canada will let us continue to run the film thereafter for at least a few days, because we’d really like to have a kids’ event too, and reduced ticket prices, of course.”

‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ is scheduled to be released on July 10, 2020.