GI Joe: Retaliation: Pushed back to 2013 (yikes, nine months)

GI Joe: Retaliation: Pushed back to 2013 (yikes, nine months)

From LA Times, ((Paramount Pictures has delayed the release of its sole summer action movie,"G.I. Joe: Retaliation,"from June 29 until March of next year, an unexpected shift that leaves the studio without a big-budget "tentpole" hitting theaters in 2012. ))

That was a pretty ballsy move considering that they promoted the hell out of this movie and the trailer made the movie out to be pretty slick and cool. People were actually looking forward to this movie it seems. Out of nowhere, they pull their biggest movie from the summer lineup?

Something is not right about this. Now, Paramount did give a reason...kind of.

From LA Times, ((Paramount decided to delay "G.I. Joe" to convert it to 3-D, said a person close to the studio who was not authorized to be identified discussing the matter publicly. The conversion could help to boost box-office receipts for "Retaliation," particularly overseas, but such a decision is typically made far earlier in the production process. ))

Given that Battleship (another Hasbro project) has done better overseas than in North America might have something to do with that too. Plus, boosting the Box Office with unnecessary 3D prices will help them also. 3D prices are a little higher overseas than in the states.  Plus, overseas crowds are more forgiving to dumb Hollywood movies.  

Yet, there might be a bigger reason for the change in release dates. That being Channing Tatum. The trailers clearly show that Tatum's Duke character is supposed to die. Test audiences hated that their relationship wasn't bigger. And, it does seem odd that they would kill off Duke when he was the main star in the first movie.

The studio is beefing up Tatum's parts, but something tells me they'll add him into ending somehow by having him survive. Duke was supposed to die in the animated movie back in the 80s too, but they changed it at the last moment. Duke even showed up a few times in the DiC series, which is set after the animated GI Joe movie.

I find it funny that history is repeating itself with the death of the Duke Character. Moviefone has a great story detailing the same issues I brought up about Duke dying in both movies only to have him brought back.