Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Ghostbusters II arrived in 1989 as Columbia Pictures' answer to years of fan demand following the original film's runaway success. Directed again by Ivan Reitman and reuniting the core cast, it continued the story of the Ghostbusters as they returned to New York to face a new supernatural threat rooted in the city's collective mood. While it never matched the cultural lightning of its predecessor, it remains a fixture of late-80s studio filmmaking, a sequel built on established chemistry and practical effects craftsmanship, and a key artifact for collectors tracing the franchise's theatrical run.
This cell pairs Louis Tully, played by Rick Moranis, with Janine Melnitz, played by Annie Potts, two supporting players whose rapport gave the series much of its comic warmth. Louis, the hapless accountant turned occasional Ghostbuster, and Janine, the sharp-tongued receptionist, share a recurring dynamic built on mismatched affection and deadpan timing. A frame preserving the two together speaks to that relationship directly, a small character pairing rather than an action beat, valued by collectors for capturing the human comedy running beneath the franchise's special effects spectacle.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Ghostbusters II (1989).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a bilateral variable-area waveform.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears warm-neutral with a slight amber cast; dye image shows saturated colour consistent with an intact chromogenic print.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and depict subjects consistent with a late-1980s Columbia Pictures release.
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical track, warm-base colour stock, and perforation pitch are all consistent with a 35mm release print from the late 1980s to early 1990s, matching the 1989 production date on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063280
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
