Opening day: 'G.I. Joe' headed for $60-million opening

Paramount may just have another successful big screen brand.

"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" sold a studio-estimated $22.3 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada on its opening day. If it follows the path of other big summer action movies, it should end up earning around $60 million for its three-day opening weekend.

Given the movie's $175-million production budget, that would be a solid start and, assuming audience word-of-mouth is strong, put it on track for a healthy box office run. According to market research firm CinemaScore, opening day moviegoers gave "G.I. Joe" a grade of B+, once again contradicting the view of critics, as they did on Paramount's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." That would seem to validate the studio's strategy to not screen the picture for print and broadcast critics before it opened and to focus much of the marketing at blue-collar audiences in smaller markets.

Though it's headed for a good opening, "G.I. Joe" isn't on track to do as well as Paramount's other cinematic re-launch of a well known brand, "Star Trek," which made $75.2 million on its opening weekend. Nonetheless, it would put the studio in the enviable position of having a third big-screen brand it can produce a sequel for in the next few years, along with "Trek" and "Transformers."

Sony Pictures' "Julie and Julia," the weekend's other big release, earned $6.5 million Friday. It will likely end up grossing a little under $20 million for the weekend, a good start for a movie that cost about $40 million to produce and is targeted mainly at adult women, who don't tend to go to theaters as often as young males, who are expected to be the biggest segment of the "G.I. Joe" crowd.

Update (9:55 AM): "Funny People" is apparently finding a dead crowd on its second weekend, as ticket sales plummeted 70% on Friday from the previous week.

Update (Aug. 9, 3:05 PM): "G.I. Joe" grossed a studio-estimated $56.2 million domestically and $44 million overseas. Details here.

--Ben Fritz

Photo: A scene from "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." Credit: Frank Masi, Paramount Pictures.

Comments

[MIlton Findley]

It would seem that critics are becoming less and less useful in pop culture. Are people still paying them?

[Wendi]

I had so much fun watching this movie. It was like being 8 years old again. Marlon Wayans was great as the comedic humor of the movie. And I had no clue before hand who the actor was who would become Cobra Commander and I loved who did.

[Steve C.]

G.I. Joe was brainless entertainment. Its characters were as thin as rice paper. It could have been much more.

[Anonymous Coward]

Blue-collar audience? I'm pretty sure most audience are teenagers. Patronizing the the viewers now are we?

[Adam Edg]

I am 30. I grew up in the 80s and had an extensive line of GI Joe figures and vehicles. I religiously watched the cartoon and own most of the original series on DVD. I hate that Sigma 6 pseudo-anime crap and the gimmicky odd scale figures that go with it. They are the worst thing to EVER happen to GI Joe. Complete trash.
No, I am not an uber nerd and I do not live in my mother's basement.
Because GI Joe remains my favorite thing about childhood, there was no doubt that I would see this movie. I knew that, much like Transformers, things would be changed for various reasons. I knew that the brightly colored costumes would never make screen because of the extra goofiness they would cause (same as in X-Men).
I will admit that Marlon Wayans and the Delta 6 suits were definitely things that I was dreading. It is not that I do not like Wayans, it is that I was afraid of his goofiness destroying the movie. The Delta 6 thing just seemed like a bad idea altogether. I was not too thrilled with a mas less Destro either.
My wife and I went last night. Other than the crappy worn out chairs in the theater, we left with smiles on our faces. GI Joe, again like Transformers, was a fun movie. The pacing may have been off in some areas and some characters got glazed over too quickly, but for the most part we enjoyed it. Cobra Commander proved to be the most interesting character in the movie although his official mask was disappointing. I also became involved in Duke as a character, which is remarkable because I have always HATED Duke.
If you want to see a great, Oscar-worthy film the go see something else. If you want to have a fun time at the theater and enjoy some great explosions and action, then check out GI Joe. After all, this is a movie based on a toy line...

[Mary]

I am so tired of seeing news outlets reporting that GI Joe made money from young males. After all, there are a lot of women who grew up wanting to be Scarlett. The thing is, women don't need CGI overload, which was what killed this movie the most. If you write a clever, funny action movie and use your brains to present the story we'll go with our girls and buy our own ticket and popcorn. I don't think women will tell their friends to see this, however, because while it was all right, it just wasn't buzzworthy. Check out how many women saw Star Trek as many times as the Sex In The City movie. Star Trek=Good story, well made, excellent casting. This movie had a capable cast but often times we just laughed at the CGI. And for what it is worth-there were a lot of baby boomers in our audience-remember, GI Joe has been around since the 60's. They have money to spend, they contributed to the box office too. I have hope for a sequel-Star Trek was a reinvention of an ancient franchise. Get rid of the cheesy CGI , write a great script and look me up in 2 years, GI Joe. I'll give you a second date.