The G.I. Joe series is decades old, being big in the 1980s with the A Real American Hero reboot with a successful toy line and comic book. This was quite popular during its time, even making Larry Hama, quite well-known in the comic industry. However, unlike series with similar backgrounds, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers, this series has been unable to keep up with its popularity.
The G.I Joe movies have failed to attain the same amount of fame as its predecessor and have become quite a disappointment for fans. Why do the fans dislike the G.I Joe movies so much?
Why Did the G.I. Joe Franchise Fail?
Despite the original being quite loved by fans, the G.I. Joe movie franchise performed quite underwhelmingly. The first movie from the franchise, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), was only able to gross around $300 million after a budget of $175 million. The second movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) did a little better with a budget of $140 million and grossed $375 million. The latest movie, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, had a severe dip in its performance with a gross of $34 million worldwide, not even meeting the production budget of $88 million.
“-they turned it into a joke franchise with Channing who has the screen presence of a potted plant so both films flopped even with Bruce Willis and The Rock. And part of the problem is that they didn’t know what kind of movie they wanted to make.” Said a fan on Twitter.
Despite having big-name actors like Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, and more, the franchise performed miserably. Many believe that the reason is the lack of an appropriate tone for the movies. Some believe the reason to be the series’s inability to cater to younger audiences. Though there are many aspects to credit to the failure of this franchise, many believe the most important one to blame to be the production studio, Paramount, and the decisions they took.
How Fans Think the G.I. Joe Franchise Can be Saved?
Despite all of this, Fans do not believe this franchise to be beyond saving just yet. They see the potential of it and are giving their opinions on Twitter on how it can be saved. They believe that there is a need for quite a lot of change in the structure and foundations.
“Paramount handled the GI Joe franchise so badly. It should be Fast and Furious meet the Captain America movies. With the biggest action stars in the world. Get a good script, give it a good budget and a solid action director FOR ONCE. Someone like Justin Lin or Chad Stahelski” Said a fan on Twitter.
Paramount handled the GI Joe franchise so badly. It should be Fast and Furious meet the Captain America movies. With the biggest action stars in the world. Get a good script, give it a good budget and a solid action director FOR ONCE. Someone like Justin Lin or Chad Stahelski
— Daniel Richtman #BlackLivesMatter (@DanielRPK) May 23, 2023
The challenge for any director will be to tell a story where Roadblock has to be the lead character over Duke and Flint. I’m sure the “Hierachy of Power” 🙄 in the G.I. Joe universe will change. pic.twitter.com/IxDvtOlnfI
— Steve Cardenas (@Steve_Cardenas) May 23, 2023
That could work. But they turned it into a joke franchise with Channing who has the screen presence of a potted plant so both films flopped even with Bruce Willis and The Rock. And part of the problem is that they didn’t know what kind of movie they wanted to make.
— Charles (@Charl3sZ) May 23, 2023
It’s very difficult to make a GI Joe movie that is internationally viable. The comics have loads of really well done stories that don’t fall into the military industrial complex propaganda hole. But they’re not big 4 quadrant type stories.
— DosGoats (@dosgoatsfilms) May 23, 2023
At this point get Lin or Chad for this. I thought the first one had great action but the sequels fell short. The potential has always been there but they can’t seem to get it right. Fast and furious is literally G.I. Joe 🤣
— Mystery Music Beats (@MysteryMusic92) May 23, 2023
They think that a tonal shift, somewhere between Captain America and Fast and Furious, would be perfect for the series. They even went on to say that Chad Stahelski, the director of John Wick 4, or Justin Lin, the director of Fast X, should direct these movies. They believe Paramount to have wasted their potential and a lot more can be done with them.
Source: Twitter
