Shocker: Paramount delays 'G.I. Joe 2' six-weeks before its release for 3D conversion

In a surprising move, Paramount has yanked G.I. Joe: Retaliation from its June 29th opening so it can be converted into 3D. The movie will now bow on March 29, 2013. According to Deadline, a Paramount executive told them they’re doing it because “we’ve seen how it can better box office internationally.”

With less than six-weeks to its release, and with a ton of promotional material including trailers, TV spots, character posters, and even a few cast interviews already out there, it seems startling that Paramount and its partners -MGM/Spyglass which has 25%, and Skydance which has another 25%- would delay it so long  just to make a larger profit on it overseas. So, they’re just going to pretend that all the promotional stuff released over the past few months, including one huge lobby standee that took hours to put together, never happened? Plus, since they’re going to have to launch a totally brand new marketing plan early next year, who gets stuck with the additional cost?

I know, who cares? Still, I find it strange that a film due out in six weeks, a film that was planned for the 4th of July holiday weekend, gets pulled for “3D conversion.” I’m guessing (though I shouldn’t) that the film is as big of a turkey as Battleship did here domestically, with Paramount hoping to recoup most of the films budget from the overseas market.

Still, they note that 3D is huge internationally, with a lot of foreign countries building new 3D theaters by the week (and we’ve seen with Battleship, the more big and crappier, the more they make money there). Also the execs say that the blockbuster performance of The Hunger Games shows that March can be a prime time of the year to release movies. But the comparison is moot, considering that series built-in audience is probably bigger than the G.I. Joe fans (even though that franchise is older). And they’re female.

Yes, films can succeed in March, but audiences are also fickle. Guys and a few girls will see G.I. Joe 2 once in 3D, but will not go to again and again like they did for The Hunger Games.