Review embargoes are usually a sign of a movie worried about bad publicity, which is often a sign of a bad movie.
It happens often, too, and usually, the case is that it's because the movie already has some negative criticism coming in.
Now, one Facebook user is reporting that the new Ghostbusters will have a review embargo, with reviews banned until after the movie opens on July 10. The comment appeared on the Midnight's Edge Facebook group, which is also behind the documentary-like videos covering the new movie. This user, André Storsveen, is one of the people behind the group, so that makes him a fairly reputable source. This could also explain why there have not yet been any official reviews posted.
"We have recently learned that the review embargo got extended from Monday morning to Monday evening to when the movie opens," Storsveen writes. "I have reason to believe this is because many reviews from established outlets are mixed to negative, so they want to keep a lid on it. Only select fans who they know will say positive stuff are allowed to speak early."
If this is the case, it doesn't bode well for the movie, which already comes with a lot of criticism, much of it unwarranted and about its all-female cast. With many Ghostbusters fans moaning about how the reboot destroys their childhood, along with other complaints about the actresses cast in the main roles, there are a lot of people who have already set the movie up to fail.
The trailers, too, did little to assuage fans, and weren't exactly enough to make people really want to see the movie. However, the movie has already received some praise from experts, particularly from actors in the original film, such as Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts.
"We're really really happy," Aykroyd said. "These women performers are great and all the guys in the movie are just fine too."
Murray also spoke about how much he enjoyed the new movie.
"It was only because these girls were funny," he said. "When you see the film, you think 'are these girls gonna pull it off?' There's no quit in these girls, this is a tough movie to pull off, it's a big concept, there's a lot on the plate, there's a lot of expectations."
This review embargo, though, will concern fans, because these things usually happen due to a studio's anxiety over bad reviews. Still, that shouldn't stop anyone from going to the theater and seeing Ghostbusters when it releases on July 15.
