We’ve heard it from a number of different sources, and the story is starting to become more and more clear, and now industry insider Nikke Finke has spoken up on Deadline.com about the delay for G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Yes, according to Ms. Finke, the reasons behind the G.I. Joe: Retaliation delay were much more than simply a conversion to 3D or “bad screenings”. Sure, those played a part, but there were also other elements at work, too. According to Paramount insiders, the screening response wasn’t so much that the film was bad, it was more centered around the fact that Roadblock and Duke didn’t really establish a great friendship and that Duke died way too early in the film. There were also responses to the screening that asked why there was a lack of 3D in the first place.
Combining this with earlier talk that both John Carter of Mars and Battleship tanked domestically, Paramount became skittish of the surrounding competition, and elected to vacate to safer territory. The interesting note to all of this is not just that both John Carter and Battleship did much better internationally (which they both did), but that the big draw internationally was the 3D in both films.
“This was a case of letting a schedule to fill a summer slot dictate the film not being in 3D even though we knew that would be the most commercial version of the film. Then in the spring there were 2 big events. First John Carter lost $200M despite the best efforts of the Pixar brain trust. But the 3D film managed to gross over $200M overseas, nearly tripling its U.S. take.
“Also Channing Tatum had a breakout spring, starring in The Vow and 21 Jump Street. In our first screening of the film the reaction from audiences was good but with 2 big concerns: 1) They didn’t like the fact that Channing and The Rock really didn’t have any time to develop a friendship before Channing died, and 2) Why wasn’t it going to be in 3D? We went back and shot another week with Channing to develop more of his story with The Rock, which made the film play much better. But we didn’t have the time to be in 3D.
“Then a week ago Battleship basically had the same performance as John Carter – $60M-$70M U.S. and just over $200M international. That was just a wake-up call that said to us we need to offer the best version of the film irrespective of summer market share to ensure the best possible performance. And not being in 3D will cost us a ton of business internationally.”
I think it’s fair to say, now that we’ve heard from a number of industry sources that this is probably the prevailing wisdom behind the news. It’s not nearly the “doom and gloom” that many people fear in regards to the film’s quality, it was mostly a combination of different things that led us to this. Where we go from here is the important next step.
I will say, I haven’t seen this many industry folks talk about the G.I. Joe film franchise in the past, perhaps all of this visible conversation is good for the film in the long run? Maybe it will spark interest from some people and put it more on the “Hollywood Radar”. Along with Deadline.com, the Hollywood Reporter is also chiming in with their own analysis, that puts a bit of a more sinister focus on it, but is still talking about the film. Time will tell.
Yes, yes, I know…the temporary body of G.I. Joe: Retaliation isn’t even cold yet, and already we’re looking ahead. Or at least I’m looking ahead.
I will admit right off the bat that I quite often roll my eyes at fans who declare basic military movies to be the “perfect G.I. Joe film”. To me, G.I. Joe is about so much more than simple military action. There is so much more to it than Squad A infiltrates building and kills evil terrorists. There is a certain spirit, and a certain je ne sais quoi that it seems many people can’t grasp (especially based on what we’re seeing and hearing from Hollywood).
So it’s pretty rare that I’ll see a film or TV show that is wholly unrelated to G.I. Joe and think that it would be perfectly suited to represent the brand that I’ve known and loved for 30 years.
Below I have embedded an Official Ghost Recon: Alpha “mini movie” that is apparently an official production of UbiSoft. No, there are no G.I. Joe characters within, but in my opinion, this is as close to a perfect “G.I. Joe” film sequence as I have ever seen. Make the uniforms a bit more distinct and representative of certain characters…dress the evil terrorists in trademark Cobra blue, and inject a bit more character into each player…and this IS G.I. Joe.
The perfect blend of military action and future-tech. Heavy on the firepower, heavy on the drama, but not overtly in your face violent. It’s not often that I see an unrelated video and immediately think it would fit G.I. Joe, but this is one of those times. I won’t spoil it for you, but there is even something that shows up 3/4 of the way through the film that almost seems like a too perfect Cobra weapon. This has to be seen to be believed, but it’s not family friendly, so wait for the kids to hit the sack. Big thanks to John Uy for bringing this to my attention.
Hey, Paramount, you watching this? This is how it’s done.*
For more information on this and how this film leads into Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, check out this feature on G4.
*This is not to insinuate that G.I. Joe: Retaliation isn’t also “how it’s done”…haven’t seen it yet, so I can’t judge, but this 23 minute film blew my socks off. 😉
While the folks who are attending the 2012 G.I. Joe Convention in New Orleans have been jumping up and down over the past few days, folks who are not able to attend (but still want the Convention boxed set) have been eagerly sitting on their hands waiting to register.
The wait is over. The following email just came through from the G.I. Joe Collectors Club:
Hello all!
NON-ATTENDING Registration is now live.
WE ARE LIMITING EVERYONE (per household/per member, duplicate accounts for the same person don’t count) TO ONE SET DURING THE FIRST 24 HOURS. After that time period we will entertain potential second sets. If you choose more than one set we may cancel your entire order.
IF YOU LOG IN INCORRECTLY AND ARE GETTING NON-MEMBER PRICES PLEASE CONTACT US AS WE ARE NOT ABLE TO CORRECT THE PRICING AFTER THE FACT. YOUR LOG IN IS THE SAME AS THE ONE YOU TESTED IN THE STORE.
Use the email link at GIJOECON.com in the menu on the left if you need to contact us.
In addition, the attending sets left in stock are now reserved for people who have not ordered a set AND you will be limited to ONE.
Please take your time in the registration system to ensure you don’t make any mistakes.
We’ve obviously been seeing a lot of talk online about the date move for G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but most of it from the mainstream sites has just been a mention, and then moving on. Patrick Goldstein from the LA Times’ “Big Picture” actually put out some very nice and detailed analysis of the move.
So far his opinions are coming pretty close to mirroring mine. In fact, he thinks much the same way I do in that this isn’t just Battleship’s fault, you need to look further back to John Carter of Mars as well, in setting a precedent for failure that major studios are suddenly growing very skittish of.
So as we push on towards JoeCon, Gary and Mike are making their own promotional push…they’re appearing regularly on other podcasts to help promote JoeCon, and of course, talk up the What’s on Joe Mind podcast a little bit.
Here are some recent shows you can catch them on:
Open Your Toys Episode 73 – Join Slick McFavorite and Mrs. McFavorite as they talk to Mike and Gary on this great toy-themed podcast that has been a mainstay on my personal playlist for a while now.
Geek Cast Radio Network JoeCon Special – Gary and Mike join Steve and Mike on GCRN to talk up JoeCon and get into all of your favorite geek topics. A couple of very well established podcasting pro’s talking Joe, where can you go wrong?
Star Joes Episode 70 – Old podcast buddies Chuck and Ryan bring Mike and Gary on this episode, once again, to talk a little bit about JoeCon and the G.I. Joe hobby in general. One of our favorite G.I. Joe themed podcasts out there, don’t miss this one!
