In a highly unexpected move, Paramount Pictures has decided to change the release date of the Jon Chu directed film ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ to next year. The film that was originally slated to be released next month (June 29th to be exact) has been pushed back nine months to March 29, 2013. What makes the move so unorthodox is the fact that the studios have made this decision so close to the film’s premiere date despite already having released trailers, movie posters and even movie related toys.
Before ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ went into production, the film was to be released in August of this year. Due to the slight problem of ‘Star Trek 2’ not being able to be finished in time for its original slated release date, studio executives decided to move up ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ to take ‘Star Trek 2’s tent pole spot. Now it looks like it will be a longer wait before we see the Joes back in action.
According to Deadline, an unnamed Paramount exec explained the reason for the push back was so that they could add 3D. “We’re going to do a conscientious 3D job because we’ve seen how it can better box office internationally,” he said, “Jim Cameron did all of Titanic’s 3D in post – and look how well that movie turned out.” (Could someone please let this exec know that the main difference between the two movies is that ‘Titanic’ already had the reputation of winning a Best Picture Oscar as well as a record holder of highest grossing films of all time before it even went to 3D? Of course it did well in 3D!).
3D is becoming huge internationally with Russia and China building new 3D theaters to accommodate these films and although March is not really considered a prime month to release movies, the success of ‘The Hunger Games’ have proven that the month is capable of bringing in box office hits.
Does this also mean Paramount doesn’t have enough faith that the movie will do well the way it is? Don’t know, but earlier this year the studio also bumped ‘Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters’ from March 2, 2012 to January 11, 2013 because they also wanted to convert the movie to 3D and hopefully cash in on the popularity Jeremy Renner would have starring in 2 big movies this year (‘The Avengers’ and ‘The Bourne Legacy’). The move will also remove the film from its current slot of one week after the release of Pixar’s ‘Brave’ and Fox’s ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ and 5 days before ‘The Amazing Spider-Man‘ release and placing it in a month of little to no other competition except for Stephanie Meyer’s ‘The Host.’
So it looks like the move to change ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’s’ release date basically comes down to dollars and cents as the studios will do what they have to do to eek out more money from the movie audiences’ pockets. As for the fans, it looks like it will be another 9 months before we get to see what looked like a fun sequel. Anyone else annoyed?
