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Jason Barney: This is an okay opening, and I am a supporter of the franchise, but I have to wonder how much the film gained by moving the release date nine months. I want to be clear, because the poor quality of these films are much worse than they need to be, that I grew up watching the old cartoons and playing with the toys. When the original came out in 2009 I thought it looked so silly that I refused to see it in the theater. I waited until it came out and rented it, and I had pretty low expectations. The first "Joe" is the definition of stupid action. So based on my youth, I want these films to succeed, but based on the paths they have chosen to take, I don't particularly care to spend my money or time on the product. I will see the second one, when it comes out of DVD, but it appears it is worse than the first.

What did they gain by delaying the film from its summer release date? I know some of the other writers were speculating about a possible bomb, but I have to believe this film would have done better as a summer blockbuster that on Easter weekend. In fact, if memory serves, this was originally slated for a weekend around July 4th, which would have meant an elevated opening for those few days. So I am not sure what they gained by releasing now. Character changes? More continuity for future films? I don't think they grabbed much more money.

In the end this film will make slightly more than the original did against its budget. If the $130 million figure is accurate, it should do that and more stateside. Where the cash will flow in is from the international markets. I was shocked to see that the foreign gross has already surpassed the domestic total. Paramount will have a money maker on its hands based on this sort of overseas reaction.

It also must be stated, that regardless of the quality of this film, the Rock's status as an actor is quickly rising. Critics can shrug off the dollars all they want, but the string this guy is putting together has brought in some serious coin. With the summer schedule ahead of him, his star is just going to rise.

Felix Quinonez Jr.: I think this is a pretty good opening. I generally expect sequels to open bigger than their predecessors but I think it's a different scenario in this case. The first GI Joe was received really badly. Even though Retaliation is a sequel it can also be described as a reboot. I think this movie had a lot going against it due to the bad taste the first movie left so to essentially match the first movie's opening weekend in four days is not bad at all. Also it seems that this is receiving better word-of-mouth so I think it will hold better than the first one and it will at least get close to matching its total gross. And judging from its overseas start it should do even better worldwide.

Max Braden: $40 million seems like a decent start, but this is with the addition of Johnson and Bruce Willis. I think Johnson was responsible for adding a boost to Fast Five's opening. If he had any effect on the sequel to GI Joe, imagine what it would have looked like without him. I don't see how this movie's going to get anywhere near the previous total gross.

David Mumpower: I for one am blown away by this result. The first G.I. Joe movie, The Rise of Cobra, earned $61.1 million over its first four days. The sequel has retained $51.0 million or 83% of that audience. I am forced to wonder how many people had just enough time to forget how heinous the original was. I too enjoyed G.I. Joe as a child but The Rise of Cobra pretty much destroyed any fond remembrances I had nurtured until then. And there was little about the sequel that struck me as enticing. Instead, a clever decision was made to show The Rock, far and away the most popular cast member, playing a videogame. I have no idea if that sequence is actually included in the film. What I say with confidence is that it doubled the opening weekend of G.I. Joe-er.

Kim Hollis: I have to agree that this opening seems to be best-case scenario for the studio. The first movie is so poorly remembered that the franchise had very little traction. Indeed, The Rock and Bruce Willis probably are responsible for the fact that it did as well as it has so far. I don't really believe that the delay hurt or helped it. I think its audience was pretty close to the same whether it was released during the last weekend of March or in mid-July.

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