Well, guess it didn’t look as good as we all thought it did. THR reports (via /Film) that Paramount has decided to push its upcoming G.I. Joe sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, from its summer release date (one that’s barely more than a month away) in favor of a 2013 release date that will afford it less competition at the box office. Oh, and what’s that? Yeah, they’re also post-converting the Jon Chu-directed movie to 3D. Ugh.
The film, once set to open on June 29, 2012, will now open on March 29, 2013.
The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki, D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, RZA, Joseph Mazzello, Elodie Yung, and Walton Goggins and, despite following the money-making but underwhelming G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA, has long looked promising. While an unexpected post-conversion 3D job rarely instills confidence in people, announcing one when the film was set to open in just over a month is quite shocking.
The rise of 3D in mainstream Hollywood movies has, inevitably, bred some contempt, and this move likely won’t help. Many moviegoers still bristle at the post-conversion process, particularly after it rendered one of its first victims, Clash of the Titans, virtually unwatchable. Yet, the process has seen some big success, as films like The Avengers were also converted reasonably well to accommodate the extra dimension. Of course, a number of studios have also used the process to convert older films for re-release; Disney in particular has used it for Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and soon Finding Nemo. However, it’s hard to argue that films that undergo the post-conversion process look as good as films that are filmed in native 3D.
However, just in terms of the release date move, this might free the film up for greater success. The June date pitted it against Magic Mike, People Like Us, Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection, and Beasts of the Southern Wild. Yet, the big wild card is The Amazing Spider-Man, which will open on July 3, just five days after the previous Retaliation opening. March 2013 affords it a little more breathing room, with Elysium and Oz the Great and Powerful opening up earlier in the month, Jack the Giant Killer set to open the week before, and The Host (which will likely skew younger) opening on the same day. April 2013 is remarkably open, as well, with only the Tom Cruise-starring Oblivion set to open at the end of the month, the only current competition for G.I. Joe.
Related Topics: Bruce Willis
