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Ghostbusters: Men and women are rating the new all-female reboot very differently

Though it looks like the reason is not what you might be led to believe - or entirely what you expected 

Clarisse Loughrey
Friday 15 July 2016 12:41 BST
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Is there a gender division in how fans are reacting to Paul Feig's all-female Ghostbusters reboot?

IMDB would appear to say so; though the film currently stands at a weighted average of 4.3/10 on its user poll, there's a vast difference between how women are rating the blockbuster comedy, and how men are rating it.

Women gave, on average, a 7.7 rating to the film; aligning nicely with the film's reception amongst critics over at Rotten Tomatoes, where the film currently stands at a positive 74% rating; hailed as a riotous summer blockbuster, whose only major flaw is its inability to live up to its 1984 original.

The male sector of voters, however, appeared to have a highly different take on the film. While 2,030 women have so far voted, a whopping 9,640 men rated the film with an overall average of 3.8. Does that suggest the film is stirring up reactions on a vehemently gender-based line? Perhaps it would do if there were any proof this enormous number of 9,640 men had actually seen the film.

The thing is, Ghostbusters has only just opened in US cinemas; with Screen Crush reporting all the way back on Monday that 1,865 men had already voted, with the film having been out for barely a day in the UK. Compared to the mere 169 votes from women at that point, it's entirely improbable to believe that such a huge number of men had somehow already seen the film so early.

Ghostbusters cast interview

Furthermore, it's disappointingly something to be expected when the film's suffered from a long campaign of deliberate targeting by a subset of violently frothing fanboys; the trailer becoming the most disliked movie trailer on YouTube, with many of the comments directed towards the film tinged with sexist language.

If only they'd actually the watch the film before casting their disdain; for once, they might actually have fun.

Ghostbusters is out now.

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