The current issue facing the release of Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29th is the upcoming Box Office movie, Iron Man. To be opening in cinemas a mer 3 days after the release of GTA 4. Sources at the Entertainment Weekly magazine says the game could pose a threat to the Iron Man movie. The writer of the article posted in Entertainment Weekly, Nicole Sperling, says that the game holds an audience very similar to that of Iron Man. She adds that gamers could end up skipping the movie to stay home playing their newly purchased copy of Grand Theft Auto IV.

The article changed it's tune at the end, using a quote from a analyst saying it was "the dopiest thing ever" and a quote from a Paramount spokesman stating

“It's crazy to think that young males can't carve out two hours for Iron Man,”

TheGlobeAndMail Canadian Newspaper followed the story and said something I think sums it all up:

Well, it doesn't sound that dopey to me. In fact, it seems entirely possible that some younger GTA IV players will figure that, having already spent $60 on a game that week, it might be wise to conserve funds. Perhaps they'll see Iron Man later in its run, or, if the film gets bad word of mouth, perhaps they won't.

It's possible the game could cause millions of dollars in profit loss for Paramount, and it's been shown in recent years that Hollywood has had to start working around game releases to insure maximum profit. With GTA 4 being coined as the best game of all times, of the year and of the century, I don't think having a movie released that close to the game is the smartest move. Lets wait and see how it pans out shall we...?

Source: TheGlobeAndMail