Despite all the bad press, skeptics, and rumors, “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra” dominated the box office weekend doing $56.2 million in the U.. and Canada as well as another $44 million internationally. For anyone who isn’t a math wiz (and didn’t read the title), that puts the movie just over $100 million for its opening weekend.
These numbers were enough for people to already start talking about the sequel. As the LA Times notes, “That’s certainly good enough for Paramount to claim victory, however, and start thinking about the future. The studio’s vice chairman, Rob Moore, confirmed that a sequel will soon go into development. The film’s lead actors are contractually obligated to return for another film, though director Stephen Sommers is not.”
It seems like Paramount has already rolled out the “Mission Accomplished” banners and popped the champagne. However, the LA Times also points out that the movie had an 18% drop in ticket sales from Friday to Saturday which could signify that the movie’s high grossing numbers will not continue. Then again, considering the expectations ‘Joe’ had going into the weekend, and just how poorly the geek community responded to the film initially, Paramount is probably just happy that they can still afford a ‘Joe’ action figure.
Sommers sat down for an interview with Variety and discussed the movie’s opening weekend, how the critics treat him, and the possibility of a sequel. Here are some quotes and most of them center on Sommers trying to invalidate the existence of film critics, something that’s come into vogue in the last 12 months.
“I don’t think the mainstream critics are relevant here, they have criticized themselves into irrelevancy…Why not make those reviewers pay their $15 like everyone else?”
“It’s like Michael Bay said, they don’t have a fun gene. These critics remind me of my 78-year old mother. She liked the movie, but it was a little fast for mom. I would love rave reviews, but I learned early on to discount them.”
“I make the kind of movies critics love to hate. They love dark and depressing movies. If you make those, you expect they will love you, you need them to love you.”
“I’m really hoping to do `G.I. Joe 2,’ but the film has to make a swimming pool full of money for that to happen.”
Sommers must be relishing the movie’s big opening more than most given all the rumors and attacks he had to endure. It doesn’t sound like he is so sure that ‘Joe 2’ will happen but if Paramount wants the stars to make it, they’re gonna make it, with or without Sommers.
On a lighter note, here is a video spoof from Funny or Die entitled “The Ballad of GI Joe” which has appearances by Olivia Wilde, Zach Galifianakis, Alexis Bledel, Billy Crudup, Julianne Moore, Tony Hale, Henry Rollins, Vinnie Jones, and Josh Simpson, i.e., a much stronger cast than the actual ‘G.I. Joe’ film. Enjoy.[LATimes]