May 25, 2012 by Paul Curtin
In a very strange move, just one month before the release of one of this summer’s potential biggest blockbusters, Paramount Pictures has decided to delay the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation. With the movie being so close to its summer release on June 29, Paramount has delayed the film almost a full year with a new release date of March 29, 2013.
The G.I. Joe sequel obviously wasn’t going to topple any of the other heavy-hitters this summer, but it had a good chance of still doing very well, especially with all the build up around it, including a very expensive Super Bowl ad and more recently Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s return to WWE to help promote the film. Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s President and CEO, had this to say about the delay in an official statement:
“It is increasingly evident that 3D resonates with movie-goers globally and together with Paramount, we made the decision to bring fans an even more immersive entertainment experience.”
The idea of delaying a movie ten months just to post-convert it into the 3D format seems like a very big gamble that may or may not pay off for Hasbro. Obviously, the increase in ticket prices will help its revenue, but releasing a summer popcorn flick in March doesn’t seem like the best idea, especially after this year’s John Carter bombed. Plus the extended marketing costs over the next ten months probably won’t help its total revenue either.
