Paramount has decided to delay the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation to March of next year because the studio claims they’d like to add 3-D in order to boost the film’s box office potential – no doubt more in the overseas arena than anywhere else. The action sequel was slated to premiere on June 29th and features Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson.
I’m getting the feeling Paramount is taking a pass on one of the biggest movie weekends of the Summer because the flick isn’t strong enough to pull box office numbers in what will soon be a crowded field of action and SF movies.
The scheduling move is surprising due to the estimated $125 million already spent on promoting G.I. Joe – including a Super Bowl spot. Granted, there isn’t a ton of talk surrounding it but now the hype machine will have to reset as the already minimal buzz the movie generated will surely disappear.