Paramount announced Wednesday that the release of "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" will be delayed until 2013. This comes a little more than a month before the film's original release date, June 29, 2012. The delay also comes after numerous trailers aired and members of the cast made public appearances promoting the upcoming action sequel.
Paramount claims the postponement will allow the studio time to convert the movie to 3D. There is also talk that "Retaliation" is being postponed due to the disappointing U.S. box office of "Battleship," another high-octane military action flick that debuted last week.
"Battleship," based on the classic Hasbro board game, only made $25.5 million in its opening weekend. The movie did, however, pass the $250 million mark worldwide. Regardless, the U.S. box office has Paramount scrambling to try to make sure the new "G.I. Joe" movie is done right.
Delayed releases sometimes show a lack of support by the studios, but that is not always the case.
"The Cabin in the Woods"
There were a lot of questions surrounding the Joss Whedon-Drew Goddard horror movie "The Cabin in the Woods." The movie was completed in 2009 but kept getting pushed off until it finally hit theaters on April 13, 2012 -- three full years later.
The first thought might be that the movie was bad and the studio was simply looking for a time to dump it. However, there was a lot going on behind the scenes that had nothing to do with the movie.
"Cabin in the Woods" was originally supposed to be released February 5, 2010, but was delayed for the exact same reason "G,I. Joe: Retaliation" was: to convert the movie to 3D. The new release date was January 14, 2011, almost a full year later -- the same time table fans are looking at for "G.I. Joe: Retaliation."
However, "The Cabin in the Woods" never made its 2011 release date and because of MGM's bankruptcy. Both a remake of '80s action flick "Red Dawn" and "The Cabin in the Woods" were put up for sale. Lionsgate finally stepped in and purchased "The Cabin in the Woods," giving it a solid 2012 release
"O"
"O," a modernized adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello" set in a private high school, was supposed to hit theaters in 1999 but wasn't delayed because of 3D or studio issues.. Anyone who knows the original Shakespeare story knows that it is a violent tale; set in the world of American high schools, it could be a wonderful look at high school violence.
Then, on April 20, 1999, two young men murdered 12 students and one teacher before killing themselves at Columbine High School in Colorado. With this tragedy, real life high school violence made any movie depicting it obsolete. "O" was shelved for two years before finally getting released on August 31, 2001.
"O" bears very little in common with the Columbine massacre but the studios smartly chose to err on the side of caution, allowing the community, and the country, to heal. Of course, two weeks after "O" bowed, the 9/11 attacks occurred, leading to the delay of a number of movies, from frothy comedies like "View From the Top" to action flicks like "Bad Company."
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