UPDATED (7:07 PM): Taking advantage of the “G.I. Joe: Retaliation ” release-date switch, Universal has now slated Seth MacFarlane’s “Ted” in the vacated June 29 slot, moving it up from its originally-planned July 13 release date, according to Deadline. The upcoming comedy stars Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, with voiceover work by MacFarlane as the titular teddy bear come to life.
ORIGINAL STORY: Well, you can cross one movie off your Summer 2012 must-see list. “GI Joe: Retaliation,” originally scheduled to open June 29, now won’t hit theaters until next March.
The reason for the 9-month move? Paramount executives, no doubt eying the big box office numbers for the post-converted “Titanic” and “The Avengers,” want to make the movie 3D in order to maximize profits in the U.S. and internationally, according to Deadline.
The John M. Chu-directed sequel looks to be bigger and (hopefully) better that the 2009 original, but such a drastic scheduling shift at nearly the last-minute seems troublesome.
However, this year’s “The Hunger Games” proved that March can be a blockbuster month, and 3D ticket surcharges certainly add up, especially in emerging box office powerhouse territories like China and Russia.
Still, nine months is a long time to have to wait to see Joe take on Cobra once again.
“Retaliation” stars a mostly-new cast, including Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Elodie Yung, Jonathan Pryce and Bruce Willis. Ray Park and Lee Byung-hun also reprise their roles as, respectively, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.