<P> According to Entertainment Weekly, "the initial script dates back (...) at least about a decade," with Bradley Cooper, Seth Rogen, and Sam Worthington reportedly turning down the lead role . Going back even further, Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock also declined the part . Screenwriter Larry Doyle claimed to have read the script in 1998, and that in the draft the protagonists were video game designers with access to guided missiles . </P> <P> Principal photography took place in Vancouver from September 13 to December 1, 2010 . </P> <P> This Means War was previously scheduled for wide release on February 14, but 20th Century Fox postponed its opening to February 17, 2012, in order "to avoid a head - on confrontation with" Screen Gems' The Vow, which had been "expected to dominate" the box office on Valentine's Day . Instead, it was sneak previewed that "Tuesday evening at between 2,000 and 2,500 locations nationwide ." During its first weekend ending February 19, it opened at #5 behind Safe House, The Vow, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island with $17.4 million from 3,189 locations . The following weekend, it dropped to #7 behind newcomers Act of Valor and Tyler Perry's Good Deeds with $8.4 million . After a 17 - week theatrical run, it earned $54,760,791 domestically and $101,730,488 overseas for a worldwide total of $156,491,279 . </P> <P> The film was released to DVD and Blu - ray Disc on May 22, 2012 with a rating of PG - 13 . </P>

Tom hardy chris pine this means war trailer