'G.I. Joe' rules the weekend box office

Last year, promotion was already well underway for G.I. Joe: Retaliation when Paramount did something remarkable: They decided to delay the film's opening for a full nine months. Why? Because they wanted to give the sequel the 3D treatment. And just like that, a possible summer blockbuster film was all but forgotten - or was it?

Apparently not, because the G.I. Joe sequel just took the top spot at the weekend box office. Deciding to delay the movie might be one of the smartest moves Paramount's made in a while. Adding 3D to the film certainly boosts profits and it also increased interest in the movie worldwide, if the latest numbers are any indication.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, G.I. Joe: Retaliation made nearly $52 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. and a whopping $80.3 million globally. That's a very impressive take, particularly for a March movie. It seemed that Paramount's gamble wasn't a gamble at all.

I didn't see G.I. Joe on Saturday. Instead, I made a horrible decision to see The Host, and then proceeded to rant about it for the rest of the weekend. Is Jon Chu's reboot a good one? If you saw the film, I'd love to hear what you thought of it in the comments.

How did other films fare at the theaters this past weekend? DreamWorks' The Croods finished in second place, taking in an additional $26.5 million, while Tyler Perry's Temptation debuted in third place, pulling in $22.3 million (not a bad opening, especially considering the dismal reviews). Olympus Has Fallen and Oz the Great and Powerful rounded out the weekend's top five.

The Host, my new favorite movie ever (I sure hope you know I'm kidding), only managed a fourth place spot in its opening weekend, grossing a (dismal) $11 million. Those of us who contributed to that $11 million won't soon get over it, I assure you.

Thankfully, we're now heading into April, which means that slowly but surely, the box office offerings will begin to improve. I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait for the summer blockbusters to begin rolling out.

Photo courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter