Box Office
Underperformed · 1.4xBudget$20M
Worldwide Gross$27.1M
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Ghost Town
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Ghost Town
movie·PG-13·Sep 19, 2008·
Box OfficeUnderperformed · 1.4x
$20M
Budget
$27.1M
Gross
Shop
Shop this title
Ghost Town
We may earn a commission from purchases through these links.
Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.
Explore Prime Video — Opens in a new tab
Catalog availability and subscription terms vary.
Ghost Town
movie
PG-13
September 19, 2008
Wokeometer Rating
1Based
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke
TL;DR Verdict
Ghost Town earns its low 1/10 woke score by ignoring identity politics entirely and delivering a classic ghost rom-com focused on loneliness, redemption, and romance instead.
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Detailed Analysis
Ghost Town (2008) is a straightforward fantasy romantic comedy centered on a misanthropic Manhattan dentist who gains the ability to see ghosts after a near-death experience during a colonoscopy and becomes entangled in helping one persistent ghost (Greg Kinnear) interfere with his widow's (Téa Leoni) new relationship.
The core premise revolves around themes of loneliness, personal redemption through helping others, and light romance, with no engagement in identity politics, systemic critiques, or social justice framing. Casting features a standard ensemble for a New York-set film, including Ricky Gervais in the lead and supporting players like Aasif Mandvi as a colleague, but these are incidental to the story and not positioned as statements or changes to established characters. The narrative follows classic genre conventions of ghost stories and rom-com transformation arcs without activist intent from director David Koepp or writers.
Key Factors
- Traditional romantic comedy plot with ghost premise focused on personal growth and relationships, no ideological overlay
- Misanthropic lead character delivers edgy humor including occasional racial jokes as part of his cranky persona, counter to progressive messaging
- Organic supporting cast diversity in a contemporary NYC setting with no race/gender swaps or foregrounded identity elements
Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.
Detailed BreakdownPro
Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism
See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.
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Is Ghost Town Woke?
We've run a full content analysis on Ghost Town and scored it 1/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of woke content is in Ghost Town?
Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into Ghost Town's overall score.
Is Ghost Town family-friendly?
Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). Ghost Town is rated PG-13. For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the age rating to decide if it's right for your family.
How does Wokeometer score movies?
We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →
