Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, Inc. announced yesterday that G.I. Joe: Retaliation is being moved from its June 29, 2012 release date to March 29, 2013, and during that time, it will be converted into 3D:

“It is increasingly evident that 3D resonates with movie-goers globally and together with Paramount, we made the decision to bring fans an even more immersive entertainment experience,” said Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s President and CEO.

“In 2012, we continue to have several strong motion picture and television entertainment backed properties that are selling well at retail and our entertainment strategy remains strong and on-track,” Goldner said. “Through our own Hasbro Studios for television and in partnership with several movie studios including Paramount, Universal, Sony and Relativity, we are creating entertainment experiences around many of our highly popular iconic brands. For the full year 2012, we continue to believe, absent the impact of foreign exchange, we will again grow revenues and earnings per share.”

Considering that the movie was about a month away from being released (some theaters had already scheduled showtimes and sold tickets), this is a surprising change for a movie that was one of Paramount's big summer releases. One wonders if the lackluster performance of Battleship (another Hasbro property) in theaters didn't factor into the decision...

Source: Hasbro, Inc. Press Release