With seven live-action movies to its name, Mattel’s Transformers film series is a resounding box-office success, with the franchise generating upwards of $5.286 billion overall. Given the success of Barbie, which garnered $1.446 billion at the box office, Mattel might just be the new Marvel Studios, though it’s far from the only toy-maker that’s eyeing Hollywood. In 2009, Hasbro’s iconic G.I. Joe toy line was adapted into a big-screen blockbuster: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The first in the military sci-fi action film series, Cobra made $302.5 million.

In the wake of its success, Rise of Cobra spawned two sequels, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which raked in $375.7 million at the global box office, and Snake Eyes, a G.I. Joe origin story about the titular operative that made just $40.1 million in theaters when it was released in 2021. Since the failure of Snake Eyes, the G.I. Joe film franchise hasn’t released any additional entries. That changed, to some degree, with the ending sequence of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which teased a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover.

Snake Eyes Bombed With Critics & At The Box Office

The G.I. Joe Origins Movie Failed To Launch A Hasbro Cinematic Universe

Soon to be slotted into the official live-action Transformers timeline, the untitled Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover movie can finally redeem Snake Eyes. While the Hasbro-Mattel team-up — which first happened during the ’80s on the pages of comic books — has the potential to reinvigorate both beloved brands, it’s the G.I. Joe series that needs the most help. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins was panned by critics, earning an abysmal aggregate score of just 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite fairing better score-wise with audiences, Snake Eyes didn’t even make back its budget.

Making just $40.1 million against a steep budget of $88–110 million, Snake Eyes lost tons of money. Despite some solid action scenes and a focus on a fan-favorite character, Snake Eyes failed to dazzle viewers. With a mysterious origin story, Snake Eyes (Henry Golding) is a lone fighter who is recruited by the Clan Arashikage, long before becoming the masked, sword-wielding hero of the G.I. Joe organization. Thin on story and characterization, Snake Eyes‘ planned follow-up has seemingly been axed in favor of other projects, including the Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover.

Bringing Andrew Koji’s & Henry Golding’s Characters Back For The Crossover Could Help Redeem Snake Eyes

Golding & Koji Were Great In An Otherwise Mediocre G.I. Joe Movie

In the aftermath of Snake Eyes‘ failure, G.I. Joe 3 doesn’t seem to be top of mind for Hasbro. Instead, the toy-maker is all in on using the built-in excitement about the Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover movie to draw audiences. Still, the Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover can revive Snake Eyes‘ best aspects: Henry Golding’s star-powered performance as Snake Eyes and Andrew Koji’s (Warrior) incredible turn as Tommy/Storm Shadow. That said, if Hasbro truly wants to redeem Snake Eyes, Golding and Koji’s characters should return for the Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover movie.

The Transformers Crossover Can Be A Fresh Start For The G.I. Joe Franchise

Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Could Be A Lucrative Film Series

Although Snake Eyes sets up G.I. Joe sequel films, the three-movie franchise’s stagnation suggests that Hasbro should move on and provide its G.I. Joe cinematic universe with a clean slate. The highly anticipated Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover movie is the perfect way to make that fresh start. While the Transformers flicks have varied results in terms of quality, there’s no denying the franchise’s blockbuster status. By combining the G.I. Joe and Transformers fanbases, the crossover event will likely be a lucrative box-office smash that paves the way for future crossover and solo outings.