G.I. Joe: Spy Troops is a 2003 American animated military science fiction action film produced by Reel FX Creative Studios and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment .
63-398: The film was released direct-to-video and premiered on Cartoon Network on September 27, 2003. A sequel, titled G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom , was released on September 14, 2004. When Hasbro launched G.I. Joe vs. Cobra in 2002, an updated revival of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline that was sold between 1982 and 1994, they commissioned Reel FX Creative Studios to produce
126-620: A deal with Walt Disney Pictures to show its movies in U.S. and U.K. theaters. Some films may be made specifically for non-theatrical formats, being released as a " television movie " or " direct-to-video " movie. The production values on these films are often considered to be of inferior quality compared to theatrical releases in similar genres; some films that are rejected by their own movie studios upon completion may be distributed through these markets. A direct-to-video release (also called " straight-to- DVD " or " straight-to- Blu-ray ", depending on media used for film distribution) occurs when
189-434: A direct-to-video movie may get a limited theatrical screening in order to build excitement for the actual release of the video such as was done for 2010's Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths , and Planet Hulk , 2016's Batman: The Killing Joke or 2013's Sharknado . In some cases, other direct-to-video films can also be theatrically released in other countries. As DVDs gradually replaced VHS videocassettes ,
252-455: A few movies every year that defy this rule, often limited-release movies that start in only a few theaters and actually grow their theater count through good word-of-mouth and reviews. According to a 2000 study by ABN AMRO , about 26% of Hollywood movie studios' worldwide income came from box office ticket sales; 46% came from VHS and DVD sales to consumers; and 28% came from television (broadcast, cable, and pay-per-view). Typically, one film
315-481: A high-profile star) can generate well in excess of $ 50 million revenue worldwide. A production studio may decide not to generally release a TV show or film for several possible reasons: a low budget, a lack of support from a TV network, negative reviews, its controversial nature, that it may appeal to a small niche market , or a simple lack of general public interest. Studios, limited in the annual number of films to which they grant cinematic releases, may choose to pull
378-407: A movie directly to the theater or franchise salesperson, typically on a foot-by-foot basis for 10 cents a foot. Absent major studios or national theater franchises, this system was generally the best way to ensure national release of a film, particularly for shorter films. However, in terms of profitability, the states rights system was not the most effective way to screen feature-length films since
441-560: A movie is released on home video formats (such as VHS, DVD, etc.) without being released in theaters first, thereby not taking into consideration the "theatrical window". As a result of strong DVD sales, straight-to-video releases achieved higher success and were noted in 2005 to have become a profitable market, especially for independent filmmakers and distributors. Feature films released directly to YouTube or other streaming platforms include: Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007), The Cult of Sincerity (2008), Home (2009), Life in
504-463: A movie is released through movie theaters, it is released to home video and VOD services. After an additional period, it is usually released to pay television, and then made available for free-to-air television. A simultaneous release takes place when a movie is made available on many media (cinema, home video, VOD) at the same time or with very little difference in timing. Simultaneous releases offer great advantages to both consumers, who can choose
567-474: A new technology: Mind Interface Remote Control (MIRC), which allows soldiers to flawlessly command vehicles from a safe distance. The title refers to the fact that the two opposing forces, the G.I. Joe Team and Cobra , make use of spies to achieve their objectives. Cobra sends Zartan , to infiltrate G.I. Joe headquarters posing as Shipwreck , and steal the MIRC technology. The Joes send Shipwreck and Snake Eyes to
630-507: A premium price. In July 2010 Netflix secured a deal with Relativity Media in which the latter agreed to distribute a number of major movies to the aforementioned VOD service before Pay TV . Producers of relatively smaller-budget movies are also utilizing new release strategies. In 2009, the movie The House of the Devil premiered on VOD systems on October 1, and received a limited theatrical release one month later. In August 2010, it
693-501: A resolution in 1980 objecting to the proposed release of video cassettes at the same time as a film was released in theaters on the basis that their release would negatively impact theatrical revenues. The window between theatrical release and free-to-air television in the United States at the time was normally three years. By 1983 in the United States, the theatrical window before a film would be made available to other media, (at
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#1732794383541756-544: A sense of prestige. Although this method helped increase film earnings for the producer, given its nature, a movie's release would only be at the regional level. Some of the first road show films were the Italian film Cabiria (1914) and the American The Birth of a Nation (1915). The standard release routine for a movie is regulated by a business model called "release windows". The release windows system
819-529: A series of CGI-animated commercials to promote the new line of figures. They would follow this up with an hour-long direct-to-video movie titled Spy Troops to promote the 2003 series of figures released under the sub-line of the same name. Spy Troops was written by Larry Hama , who wrote the original filecards and the Marvel comic series . The plot revolves around G.I. Joe , America's "daring, highly trained special missions force". The Joes have just perfected
882-467: A stigma of lower technical or artistic quality than theatrical releases. Some films released direct-to-video are films which have been completed but were never released in movie theaters. This delay often occurs when a studio doubts a film's commercial prospects to justify a full cinema release or because its release window has closed. In film industry slang, such films are referred to as having been "vaulted". Like B-movies shown in drive-in theaters in
945-460: A successful live action film straight to DVD, due to a lack of budget in comparison to the original. During the Golden Age of Porn in the 1970s, many pornographic films were released in theatres, some of which became some of the highest-grossing films in their release years, and in the pornography industry altogether. Toward the 1980s, porn began to shift to video release, because video allowed
1008-469: A third of the average cost of a Hollywood release. According to Variety , American Pie Presents: Band Camp sold more than one million copies in a week. Some direct-to-DVD releases recently have tended to feature actors who were formerly bankable stars. In 2005, salaries for some of these direct-to-DVD actors in the multimillion-dollar range from $ 2 to $ 4 million ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ) and $ 4.5 to $ 10 million ( Steven Seagal ), in some cases exceeding
1071-555: A trend in China; these films are called "Online Big Movies" ("OBM"; 网络大电影 in Chinese, or simply 网大). The word "Big" in the name was meant to be sardonic , as most of these films are often made on a very low budget and featuring mostly unknown cast members and sometimes nonprofessional actors. However, increasingly, the budget for these films have been slowly climbing up, due to the success of these films on digital distribution platforms;
1134-486: Is a matter of debate; candidates include Tally's Electric Theatre, established 1902 in Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh's Nickelodeon, established 1905. Thousands of such theaters were built or converted from existing facilities within a few years. In the United States, these theaters came to be known as nickelodeons , because admission typically cost a nickel (five cents). Distributors license films to theaters granting
1197-529: Is the featured presentation (or feature film ). Before the 1970s, there were " double features "; typically, a high-quality " A picture" rented by an independent theater for a lump sum, and a lower-quality " B picture" rented for a percentage of the gross receipts. Today, the bulk of the material shown before the feature film consists of previews for upcoming movies (also known as trailers ) and paid advertisements. The development of television has allowed films to be broadcast to larger audiences, usually after
1260-529: The Tribeca Film Festival in April, where it was reviewed positively, but only received modest distribution offers. At the time, it was not very common for consumers to make digital movie purchases. As part of a push by the service towards original content, the subscription video on demand service Netflix began to acquire feature films for distribution on its service in the 2010s, including
1323-672: The release of a film , television series , short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere . This distribution strategy was prevalent before streaming platforms came to dominate the TV and movie distribution markets. Because inferior sequels or prequels of larger-budget films may be released direct-to-video, review references to direct-to-video releases are often pejorative . Direct-to-video release has also become profitable for independent filmmakers and smaller companies. Some direct-to-video genre films (with
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#17327943835411386-475: The 2013 documentary The Square , and its first feature film in 2015 — Beasts of No Nation . Netflix pursued a simultaneous release strategy for its films, partnering with a distributor for a limited theatrical release (in order to maintain eligibility for awards requiring theatrical release, such as the Academy Awards ) simultaneous with their availability to subscribers. As this practice violates
1449-579: The 2014 film The Interview was released simultaneously on digital and at selected cinemas, after major chains dropped the film due to terrorist threats by a hacking group believed to have ties to North Korea (whose regime is satirized in the film). The group had also leaked confidential data from the internal servers of the film's distributor, Sony Pictures . The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in worldwide closures of cinemas due to economic restrictions and guidance against public gatherings, which prompted direct-to-digital releases for several major films;
1512-714: The Chinese film Lost in Russia was acquired by ByteDance for 630 million yuan (almost 100 million in US dollars) and streamed on its platforms (including TikTok ) for free in lieu of a theatrical release, as part of a larger relationship with the company and the film's distributor Huanxi Media. A number of U.S. films were shifted directly to video-on-demand rentals in lieu of a theatrical release, while some have been sold directly to subscription services, including Disney+ , Max , Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video . OV ("original video") are movies made for direct-to-video release in
1575-871: The DVD and Blu-ray versions of Tim Burton 's Alice in Wonderland 14 weeks after the movie's release date (instead of the then usual 17) in order to avoid competition from the 2010 World Cup . In response to such statements, theater owners made threats not to show the movie on their screens, but later reconsidered their position before the movie was released. As of 2019, most major theater chains mandated an exclusivity window of 90 days before release on physical home video and rental availability, and 74–76 days before digital sell-through . Other strategies are also being deployed in order to make up for slow DVD sales. Most major studios have considered making movies available to VOD services shortly after their theatrical release for
1638-480: The Hedgehog , I Still Believe , and The Invisible Man also became available for in-home on-demand viewing after a theatrical run shorter than usual in the wake of widespread theatre closures. As a result of the controversy surrounding the shrinking and even elimination of the theatrical window, in April 2020 AMC Theatres stated it would no longer screen films made by Universal Pictures after Trolls World Tour
1701-487: The Japanese market. OVA (" original video animation ") is distinguished from OVM ("original video movies") or V-Cinema, which usually refer to non-animated works. Different production studios may use other labels like "V drama". The OVA market developed in the mid-1980s. The lax restrictions and censorship in comparison to broadcast television appealed to filmmakers, allowing them to include more controversial content, as
1764-400: The United States was Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation in 1992. The practice of creating and releasing regular fiction specifically for video did not really take off until 1994, with Disney 's The Return of Jafar and Universal 's The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure , neither of which was intended to hit theaters at any point in its production. Several of
1827-497: The United States. Major movie studios reportedly pushed to shrink the theatrical window in an attempt to make up for the substantial losses in the DVD market suffered since the 2004 sales peak. These attempts have encountered the firm opposition of theater owners, whose profits depend solely upon attendance and therefore benefit from keeping a movie available on their screens. In early 2010, Disney announced it would be putting out
1890-408: The actors' theatrical rates. With the increasing prominence of digital distribution platforms in the 2000s and 2010s, direct-to-digital releases began to emerge alongside, or in lieu of home video. In November 2007, Ed Burns ' Purple Violets became the first film to "premiere" exclusively for sale on iTunes Store , being exclusive to the platform for a month exclusively. It had premiered at
1953-479: The animated sequels, like MGM 's The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue from 1998, have sparked criticism due to the deliberate neglect of the original source material by creative content limits as these franchises will abruptly discontinue. Several other film series will be continuous if they become more successful, like Scooby-Doo for instance (their video debut Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island became one of
G.I. Joe: Spy Troops - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-472: The average theatrical window in the United States between a film's theatrical release and its showing on TV was just over five years. By 1979, with the advent of pay television, films were normally made available to pay television in the United States one or two years after theatrical release. With the advent of home video, the National Association of Theatre Owners in the United States passed
2079-472: The best-selling DTV films of all time ). By 1994, an average of six new direct-to-video films appeared each week. Erotic thrillers and R-rated action films were the two most successful genres. Family films became more important than such genres later in the 1990s, as retailers stocked more copies of blockbuster films instead of more titles. According to the Los Angeles Times : Often,
2142-540: The budget for these films can now range from less than 1 million yuan to upwards of 10 or 20 million yuan. Although these "Online Big Movies" rarely feature well-known actors, in recent years, many "Online Big Movies" have hired veteran actors from Hong Kong action cinema and Taiwanese cinema to join its cast. These movies are also to be differentiated from films that are made for theatrical release but were later acquired by digital streaming services, in that these "Online Big Movies" are produced by internet companies with
2205-732: The company and they had no plans to adjust it. During the COVID-19 pandemic , all the major studios broke the theatrical window due to widespread theatre closings and made several films available on home media shortly after their theatrical debuts, such as Universal releasing The Invisible Man for rental 21 days after theatrical release, Sony and Columbia Pictures releasing Bloodshot for purchase 12 days after theatrical release, Warner Bros. releasing The Way Back 18 days after theatrical release, and Disney releasing Onward for purchase 15 days after theatrical release and streaming on Disney+ 29 days after theatrical release. Sonic
2268-563: The completed film from the theaters, or never exhibit it in theaters at all. Studios then generate revenue through video sales and rentals. Direct-to-video films are marketed mostly through colorful box covers, instead of advertising, and are not covered by publications like Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide . The first direct-to-video release to go into production was E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind in 1984 produced by CineTel Films . Direct-to-video releases have historically carried
2331-487: The decline of the Motion Picture Patents Company (Edison Trust) in 1915, there were two main forms of film distribution: states rights and roadshow . Under the states rights system, films were sold on a local, territorial basis. The local salesperson would then play the film as often as they desired in an attempt to make as much profit as possible. Film copyright holders would sell rights of
2394-498: The downfall of live-action family films at the box office is their strength on video. Their appeal is to families with young children, who may go to only a couple of movies per year but who will watch many videos multiple times. The teens and young adults who drive blockbuster box office statistics stay away from family movies. Some horror films that are unsuccessful in theaters, like Witchcraft , begin successful direct-to-video series. Studios may also release sequels or spin-offs to
2457-645: The enemy's camp, after learning about what happened. The Joes then organize an assault on Cobra Mountain and successfully regain the technology, destroying Cobra's base and chopper in the process. Spy Troops: The Movie was released on DVD in September 2003, with the 12" Ninja Showdown two-pack. It had a suggested retail price of $ 19.95. Later, it was also available alone, with a suggested retail price of $ 4.95. Cartoon Network premiered Spy Troops: The Movie on September 27, 2003 at 10:00 p.m. Direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to
2520-534: The explosion in quantity and variety of such movies established and cemented genres like J-horror and yakuza films . The success of OVAs and V-Cinema has resulted in less stigma regarding direct-to-video releases in Japan than in western markets. While there are still OVA and V-Cinema releases, the market is considerably smaller than it was in the 1980s and 1990s. In the mid-to-late 2010s, low-budget B-movies that are made exclusively for digital streaming became
2583-567: The film is no longer being shown in theaters. In 1971 U-Matic became the first magnetic format in which movies could be enjoyed in institutions outside the theatre. Later that year, the first videocassettes of movies became available to consumers to watch in their own homes. Recording technology has since enabled consumers to rent or buy copies of films on home media such as VHS or DVD (older formats include: laserdisc , VCD , SelectaVision and videodisc ). Internet downloads are also revenue sources for film production companies. Prior to
G.I. Joe: Spy Troops - Misplaced Pages Continue
2646-462: The film's producers only made money on the initial sale of each film copy. This method also made it possible to screen films of various genre which may be illegal in one state but legal in another. With the roadshow system , the producer would enter into an agreement with each theater, with priority given to large-seating and famous theaters. Money would be made via ticket sales. A movie's showing would be limited to drive up demand and to help create
2709-461: The films did not need to rely on sponsored advertisements for financial support. The result was animated films with greater sexual, violent, or political content. The market continued to expand during the Japanese asset price bubble and began to decline with the collapse of the bubble in the late 1980s and early 1990s. With the rise of VHS home video and the decline of the Japanese economy in
2772-502: The last minute due to the success of another film with a similar subject matter or an ultimate studio decision. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is an example of this. However, despite the movie's critically acclaimed success, its box-office performance was very poor, which has been attributed to the last minute nature of its theatrical release. The film had much better commercial success in its subsequent home video releases. Other times,
2835-567: The late 1980s, film studios struggled to recoup investments on big-budget films. Inspired by the success of OVAs, Toei released its first V-Cinema, Crime Hunter , in March 1989. Following Toei's success, other studios began to release a slew of direct-to-video movies. Relaxed censorship in V-Cinema gave way to the premier and rise of expressive auteur directors such as Takashi Miike , Hideo Nakata , Shinji Aoyama , and Kiyoshi Kurosawa . As
2898-399: The major Hollywood studios, including Universal and Warner Bros. , identified that they were working on an agreement that would see certain movies receive a premium video-on-demand release within weeks of their theatrical premieres. Nothing came out of these discussions, and after Disney bought 21st Century Fox , then Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that the theatrical window is working for
2961-492: The medium that most suits their needs, and production studios that only have to run one marketing campaign for all releases. The flip side, though, is that such distribution efforts are often regarded as experimental and thus do not receive substantial investment or promotion. Simultaneous release approaches have gained both praise, with investor Mark Cuban claiming movies should simultaneously be made available on all media allowing viewers to choose whether to see it at home or at
3024-495: The mid-20th century, direct-to-video films employ both former stars and young actors who may become stars later. Direct-to-video releases can be done for films which cannot be shown theatrically due to controversial content, or because the cost involved in a theatrical release is beyond the releasing company. Animated sequels and feature-length episodes of animated series are also often released in this fashion. The first feature length animated film to be released direct-to-video in
3087-437: The performance of the film at the box office. Films in the US were then available for pay-per-view four months later and, approximately two years after its theatrical release date, available for free-to-air television. The reduction in the theatrical window impacted subrun theaters that showed films after they had been screened by first-run theaters. By 2019, the theatrical window had been reduced to an average of three months in
3150-458: The plan. However, this would be short-lived, because in March 2021, it was announced that Warner Bros. would discontinue same-day releases in 2022, as part of an agreement the studio reached with Cineworld (who operates Regal Cinemas ) and will instead use a 45-day exclusive release window for theaters. Most recently, the parent company has reached an agreement for a 17-day and a 31-day theatrical window with Universal Pictures and has agreed on
3213-476: The producers to work on extremely low budgets and dispense with some film production elements, like scripts, and the increased privacy and convenience of the format change were preferred by the target market. During the late 1990s and onward, pornographers began releasing content on the Internet. Occasionally, a studio that makes a movie that was prepared as a direct-to-video film will release it theatrically at
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#17327943835413276-439: The public either through a movie theater or television , or personal home viewing (including physical media, video-on-demand , download, television programs through broadcast syndication ). For commercial projects, film distribution is usually accompanied by film promotion . Initially, all mass-marketed feature films were made to be shown in movie theaters. The identity of the first theater designed specifically for cinema
3339-462: The release of these titles were outside of usual distribution, studios and directors worked quickly to capitalize on niche markets or upcoming and current trends to increase financial returns. This period of history in Japanese cinema has been described by film journalist Tom Mes as "a far more diverse and vibrant film scene [than previous eras]". By 1995, the V-cinema industry was in decline, but
3402-507: The right to show the film for a theatrical rental rental fee . The movie theater pays an average of about 50-55% of its ticket sales to the movie studio, as film rental fees. The actual percentage starts with a number higher than that and decreases as the duration of a film's showing continues, as an incentive to theaters to keep movies in the theater longer. However, today's barrage of highly marketed movies ensures that most movies are shown in first-run theaters for less than 8 weeks. There are
3465-404: The sole intent of digital release. In additional to the digital distribution of these films in China, many of the "Online Big Movies" have also been released on digital platforms outside of China, such as on YouTube . Several YouTube channels, such as Q1Q2 Movie Channel Official and YOUKU MOVIE are popular channels that distributes these "Online Big Movies". Release window#Shrinking of
3528-409: The term "direct-to-DVD" replaced "direct-to-video" in some instances. However, the word "video" does not necessarily refer to videocassettes. Many publications continue to use the term "direct-to-video" for DVDs or Blu-rays . Both disc-based release types may also be referred to as "direct-to-disc". A new term sometimes used is "DVD premiere" (DVDP). Such films can cost as little as $ 20 million, about
3591-645: The theater, and disapproval, with director M. Night Shyamalan claiming it could potentially destroy the "magic" of moviegoing. Cinema owners can be affected if they have to share their opportunity window, especially at the beginning of the movie lifecycle, since, according to Disney, about 95% of all box office tickets for a film are sold within the first six weeks after initial distribution. Among relevant simultaneous release attempts are Bubble (2006) by Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh , EMR (2005) by James Erskine & Danny McCullough, and The Road to Guantanamo (2006). Between 1967 and 1974,
3654-453: The theatrical window Film distribution , also called film exhibition or film distribution and exhibition , is the process of making a movie available for viewing to an audience. This is normally the task of a professional film distributor , who would determine the marketing and release strategy for the film, the media by which a film is to be exhibited or made available for viewing and other matters. The film may be exhibited directly to
3717-440: The time, firstly cable or pay TV) was around a year. In France, with the rise of home video, a law was created to give a theatrical window of one year before a film was made available to home video with it then being available to pay television then free-to-air television two or three years later. By 1985 in the United States, the theatrical window before a film was released on home video was normally four to six months, depending on
3780-462: The traditional release windows mandated by the cinema industry, major chains have typically declined to screen the films. Since 2018, Netflix has partially backpedaled from this strategy, giving its films a one-month theatrical run before their premiere on the Netflix service. Unique circumstances have also resulted in direct-to-digital releases, sometimes alongside a limited theatrical release;
3843-475: Was announced that the movie Freakonomics would be released on video on demand on September 3, one month before its theatrical release. The British sci-fi movie Monsters has also undergone the same release timetable. After Netflix bought the worldwide distribution rights to Beasts of No Nation , the film was simultaneously released theatrically and online through its subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service on October 16, 2015. In late 2018, five of
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#17327943835413906-558: Was first conceived in the 1970s as a strategy to keep different instances of a movie from competing with each other, allowing the movie to take advantage of different markets (cinema, home video, TV, etc.) at different times. In the standard process in 1979 in the United States, a movie was first released through movie theaters (theatrical window), then released to pay television for a short run before being re-released in theaters. It then returned to pay television before being made available for free-to-air television. Currently, after
3969-465: Was made available for video on demand purchases simultaneous to its theatrical release. In November 2020, Warner Bros. announced it would release Wonder Woman 1984 simultaneously in theaters and on Max , with theaters granted a higher 60% take of box office sales. In December 2020, Warner Bros. announced it would release its entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously in theaters and on Max for 30 days. AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron criticized
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