Bill Murray’s R-Rated $85M Comedy That Helped Launch The Ghostbusters Franchise Is About To Leave Netflix

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Bill Murray starred in many popular comedies from the 1980s, and one of those movies will soon be removed from Netflix.

Directed by Ivan Reitman, Stripes features Bill Murray as John Winger, a dissatisfied taxi driver who decides to join the army hoping for a fresh start. He convinces his friend, Russell Ziskey (played by Harold Ramis), to enlist with him. At basic training, they team up with a group of misfit recruits and unexpectedly find themselves on an important mission.

The classic comedy Stripes will be removed from Netflix on March 1st. After nearly 45 years, the film, which was also available on YouTube TV, will no longer be available to stream on the platform, and there’s currently no news about where it will be available next.

As a huge fan of comedy, it was amazing to see so many future stars in Stripes alongside Harold Ramis and Bill Murray! You had Warren Oates in one of his last roles, and it was John Candy’s first big break in America after The Blues Brothers. Plus, P.J. Soles, John Larroquette, Sean Young, Judge Reinhold, John Diehl, and Conrad Dunn all showed up! When it came out in June 1981, everyone loved it – it was a huge success, making over $85 million on a $10 million budget, and it still has an 88% ‘Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Seriously, what a classic!

While already a huge star in the 1980s, Stripes really solidified Bill Murray’s status as a reliable box office draw. Following his popular run on Saturday Night Live and successful comedies like Meatballs and Caddyshack (both directed by Ivan Reitman), this raunchy comedy became his biggest financial hit to date.

Interestingly, this project also played a key role in launching the Ghostbusters franchise. Dan Aykroyd originally envisioned the supernatural comedy as a vehicle for himself, Eddie Murphy, and John Belushi. After Belushi’s untimely death, Aykroyd turned to Bill Murray instead. Aykroyd then shared the script with Reitman, who had recently achieved success with Animal House and *Stripes. Reitman, as director and producer, also brought Harold Ramis on board to co-write and star in the film.

By the time Jon Favreau’s Jungle Book earned almost $1 billion, Ghostbusters had become Bill Murray’s most successful film, surpassing Stripes. Later, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania moved into second place with over $476 million in earnings. Despite this, Stripes remains a popular Murray film, currently ranking within the top 15 on Rotten Tomatoes – nestled between his cameo in Zombieland and his critically praised performance in Broken Flowers.

As both Bill Murray and Harold Ramis’ first on-screen pairing—following their collaboration on the screenplay for Meatballs—Stripes is a special film for fans of both actors. It’s disappointing to see it leaving Netflix. However, because Sony Pictures, which owns the film, has streaming deals with other platforms like Peacock and Disney+, it’s likely Stripes will be available elsewhere soon.

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2026-02-10 20:38