The reviews might not have indicated the likelihood, but the box-office reaction around the world to G.I. Joe Retaliation** has fired up Paramount and Hasbro to begin developing a third outing for the combat crew.
Retaliation is now on its way to more than $132 million worldwide after opening big both in the US and several other territories, including here in the UK.
Delaying the film’s release to find a better slot and convert the footage into 3D seemed to help rather than hurt the outcome, and the blitz of publicity (half of it seemingly landing on the study shoulders of The Rock) also ensured audiences turned out.
Nothing has been set for the third film yet – Zombieland’s Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese wrote Retaliation – and Variety’s story doesn’t mention if any of the cast is signed for more than one movie. But we’re betting the studio will at least be on the phone to Dwayne Johnson’s agents Monday morning to try to make a deal for his return. Or even sending him pizzas. And this time around, the 3D should be in place from the start. There might even be an enjoyable story for the third go-around, though that doesn’t seem to have stopped the first two making money...