G.I Joe: Retaliation Postponed To 2013!

In what can only be described as a bizarre marketing move, it seems that Paramount Pictures have decided to push back the release date of 'G.I: Retaliation', the sequel to 2009's 'G.I: The Rise of Cobra' a full nine months to March 2013 to give the film, yes that's right, a 3D post production upgrade. The film was originally set for release on June 29th but it seems, what with all the superheroes flying around stealing all the cash, that paramount chiefs have decided that the film would benefit greatly from a slight delay along with a 3D conversion upgrade. Brian Goldner, Hasbro's President and CEO stated 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,"

Another Paramount executive stated:

€œWe€™re going to do a conscientious 3D job because we€™ve seen how it can better box office internationally. Jim Cameron did all of Titanic€˜s 3D in post €“ and look how well that movie turned out.€

The new release date of March 29th 2013 would put it up against Andrew Niccol's adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's bestseller 'The Host' starring Saorise Ronan. Now I don't know about you but I'm a little surprised at Paramount's actions here. The footage and trailers that have been released so far have been met with more or less a definite positive response (at least in regards to the first film anyway). With Dwayne Johnson proclaiming that the world ain't saving itself and Bruce Willis stepping in to lay the smack down upon Jonathan Pryce and the rest of Cobra, the film could've easily been on course to be one of the surprise hits of the summer period. Paramount have already released two trailers, a host of TV spots and also a whole bunch of posters and banners. For this sudden delay in release, it could only mean a couple of things. One, the film isn't actually that good. With this sudden change of direction, to post convert the film to 3D, it could suggest that Paramount are worried about the film's overall performance as they know they've got a massive flop on their hands, so the extra hike in ticket sales (especially with 3D) might just be what they need. On the other hand though, maybe Paramount were actually fearing that the film, not being a superhero film and only a mere sequel to a not very well received first outing, could actually get lost among the doldrums of the summer season. After seeing the blistering performance of 'The Avengers' it kinda makes sense, and putting it firmly in a spot where no superheroes seem to be parading around, could be an ideal place for their movie. Or maybe they just feel that 3D could just boost the box office of a film that they have such high hopes for. I don't know, all I know is that when a film is delayed for nine months or more, most of the time it doesn't necessarily mean good news. Plus as we've seen, 3D conversion doesn't turn out that well either. Guess we'll just have to wait and see... 'G.I Joe: Retaliation' is directed by Jon M. Chu and stars Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, D.J Catrona, Channing Tatum, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park, Byung Hun Lee, Jonathan Pryce and Ray Stevenson.