Paramount have been desperate for a franchise that can come anywhere close to replicating the multi-billion dollar success of Transformers and Mission: Impossible, the only two big name brands they have at their disposal that account for seven of the studio’s thirteen highest-grossing movies ever. They’ve tried to replicate the Transformers formula several times, but so far, any further collaborations with Hasbro haven’t yielded any sort of sustained success.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra just about cracked $300 million at the box office back in 2009, but the profit margins were razor thin after taking into account the $175 million budget and additional marketing costs. Four years later, the Joes were rebooted in Retaliation, and while throwing self-styled ‘Franchise Viagra’ Dwayne Johnson into the mix did result in a boost that saw takings increase to $375 million, it still wasn’t close to the numbers Paramount were hoping for.
Development on a third installment has stagnated in the last couple of years, allowing for a spinoff to swoop in. Robert Schwentke’s Snake Eyes was initially set to hit theaters next month, but was pushed back an entire year due to the ongoing effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Originally given the subtitle G.I. Joe Origins, recent comments by leading man Henry Golding now make it sound like the movie is another full-blown reboot instead of a prequel tied to previous events, as he had the following to share about it:
“They’ve recreated G.I. Joe into something very cool and a far throw from what we’ve seen thus far on the big screen. I think there’s room for many spinoffs, to be honest. This, I think, will be the launch of a brand-new franchise.”
If Snake Eyes doesn’t impress at the box office, and there’s every chance that it won’t given the franchise’s track record of mediocrity, then Paramount could give up on the Joes altogether. Unless, of course, they get around to making that long-rumored Transformers crossover, because they can’t just keep rebooting every few years and expect the results to be any different.