HOLLYWOOD - -- " G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is the last of Hollywood's big summer popcorn movies.
But you wouldn't know it from the way Paramount Pictures launched its nearly $180 million big-screen adaptation of the classic military action figures, comic books and TV cartoon series.
Sure, there was a pricey Super Bowl ad and other promotional reminders that typically accompany big event pictures. But there was no glitzy Hollywood premiere, no major media junket at a luxury hotel and no dog-and-pony show at the Comic-Con International expo held last month in San Diego.
Paramount's strategy to eschew such marketing conventions for Friday's release illustrates how, at a time when word of mouth can make or break a high-profile movie, studios will go to great lengths to avoid potential bad buzz and directly court the audiences most likely to embrace their film.
Paramount concluded, based on research, that national media, affluent urban audiences and genre fans are unlikely to support "G.I. Joe." A studio representative said there were no screenings for mainstream movie critics, making "G.I. Joe" the first big-budget movie this year to be kept under wraps.
Instead, the studio is aggressively pursuing blue-collar moviegoers in smaller markets, especially those with military backgrounds.
"Our starting point for this movie is not Hollywood and Manhattan but rather mid-America," Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore said. "There are a group of people we think are going to respond to the movie who are normally not the first priority, but we're making them a priority."
The movie's de facto U.S. premiere was July 31 at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where hundreds of soldiers and their families joined director Stephen Sommers, stars Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller and Marlon Wayans, and Paramount executives on the red carpet.
The studio took its marketing campaign to some unconventional venues: a 30-second spot on video screens at Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd's summer multicity concert tour; a 90-second clip during the Country Music Television Awards in June; a spot on video screens at the Mall of America in Minneapolis; and extensive outdoor advertising in smaller markets. The studio also bought ads in numerous local and national military newspapers and Web sites.
Based on the pre-release audience polling, the PG-13 rated "G.I. Joe" is appealing to male moviegoers and has a good shot at an opening of more than $40 million.
"G.I. Joe" is Paramount's third recent attempt to revive a time-honored entertainment brand with an event-size movie. This summer, it has had back-to-back successes with a reboot of its tired "Star Trek" franchise and a sequel to 2007 blockbuster "Transformers," which, like "G.I. Joe," began life as a Hasbro toy line.
But the media launch of "G.I. Joe" has been far less traditional than either of those films. For one thing, it has largely avoided what would seem like a natural starting point: devoted fans of the toys, comics and '80s cartoon.
"Rise of Cobra" had no presence at Comic-Con, even though there were panels focused on both the toys and comic books.
"You can never win with those guys," Lorenzo di Bonaventura, producer of the "Transformers" films and "G.I. Joe," said of the convention. "They feel they're the keepers of the fan-boys flag and have a deep childhood association with many of these properties. And, we know the hard-core fans are already coming to see the movie."
That attitude has left some of the most devoted G.I. Joe fans, the type who typically turn out for midnight shows, a bit wary of how Paramount has updated their beloved characters.
Fred Meyer, owner of the Web site JoeBattleLines.com, said he was one of several fan community leaders invited to a meeting by Paramount and Hasbro representatives at a G.I. Joe fan convention two years ago to discuss what they wanted to see in the film.
"That was the last time we had any involvement," he noted. "They're not taking advantage of the fact that they have this free army of PR people out there."
