Paramount Pictures announces that Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins will arrive on premium digital and video-on-demand platforms tomorrow. The live-action franchise based on Hasbro's iconic toy line first launched in 2009 with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which was met with generally negative reviews from critics but was a box office success. Its 2013 sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, saw similar critical lashing and positive financial earnings but saw Paramount elect to take more time developing a third installment until ultimately electing to take the soft reboot-prequel approach of Bumblebee for fellow Hasbro film franchise Transfomers.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins stars Henry Golding as the titular fighter who is recruited by Tommy Arashikage to join his ninja clan, with the story also exploring the backstory of Snake Eyes and his introductions to both Cobra and the G.I. Joes and Arashikage's transformation into Storm Shadow. Alongside Golding, the cast for the film includes Warrior star Andrew Koji as Arashikage, Úrsula Corberó as the Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Iko Uwais as Hard Master and Peter Mensah as Blind Master. Though having moved swiftly through its production in late 2019 and early 2020, the film would see multiple delays in its release due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Related: How Snake Eyes Sets Up The Original GI Joe For The Sequel

Just a few weeks after the film's arrival in theaters, Paramount has announced that Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins will be arriving on digital platforms and VOD tomorrow. Additionally, the studio has revealed that the film will hit shelves on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD on October 19. The special features for the physical home media releases for the film are as follows:

  • Morning Light: A Weapon with Stories to Tell - Discover the secrets of Snake Eyes' legendary sword, Morning Light, in this all-new short film 
  • Deleted ScenesWhat you didn’t see in theaters
  • Enter SNAKE EYES - Find out what it took to bring the iconic hero’s origin story to life
  • A Deadly Ensemble - Meet fan-favorite heroes, villains, and new characters in the G.I. JOE franchise
  • Arashikage - Dive into the elite ninja warrior world of the Arashikage clan
Henry Golding As Snake Eyes

Having finally hit theaters in July after being delayed by over a year, Snake Eyes has not been the hit Paramount had hoped to recreate from Bumblebee. While the latter film was the lowest-grossing installment in the Transformers franchise, it was still considered a box office success and received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, becoming the best-reviewed chapter in the series. Though released in theaters in the midst of a pandemic, Snake Eyes has already been deemed a box office bomb, having grossed only $35 million against a $165 million break even point.

While much blame has been pointed towards Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins' release format, the film's lackluster reviews from critics have also been attributed to its failure. Given Paramount is currently developing a sequel to the film, the decision to release it onto digital platforms ahead of its streaming debut on Paramount+ likely stems from the studio looking to make back some of its budget, namely as the Delta variant is instituting new lockdowns around the country. With any luck, the digital release will ensure the sequel to Snake Eyes gets off the ground for those who did connect with the film.

More: Snake Eyes' Future: How It Sets Up A Sequel & Other G.I. Joe Spinoffs