NY Times article about 3D at the Box Office

[Marc Vanocur]

Wonderfully smart child!! You should be proud....

I feel the same way.

 

[Steven Hammer]

I think resolution needs to come into the discussion somewhere. I saw Thor in 2D a few days ago on a huge screen at one of the bigger theaters here in Portland, digitally projected in what had to be 2K. It was plenty bright, but the picture was just not detailed at all. Either the projection was out of focus or after reading so much about 4K versus 2K projection here on Reduser, I have been sensitized to just how bad a 2K projection can look. The screen at the theater is huge, and the picture just totally lacked clarity and detail. It was really depressing.

I need to figure out if there is anyone screening it on film in Portland just to see if it looks better. It looked terrible in 2K digital, and I don't think it was a focus issue, it just appeared to really lack resolution. Which isn't surprising when trying to project basically the same image my 51 inch 1080p TV has onto a 50 foot (at least) screen.

If Hollywood wants to figure out how to make going to the movies an experience, they need to start putting out 4K features. Or stick to film. 2K doesn't cut it.

 

[Liam Hall]

Here's another scribe on the same subject:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/06/02/are-3d-movies-dying/

 

[TimK]

I'm wary of articles declaring "the death of 3D" or some such pronouncement, based on one or two weekends' box office returns. It's the same kind of hysterical short-term thinking found in articles saying "soon all movies will be 3-D", based on one or two weekends' box office. Probably written by the same writers. I think the upcharge for 3-D films has led to a cash grap by some studios, with some inevitable backlash from consumers. But I'm convinced it will level out and 3-D will go back to being something different and distinctive for a select few movies, as it should be.

 

[Tom Lowe]

Let's see if the "experts" are still trying to diss 3D when "The Hobbit" and "Avatar 2" drop. Suddenly their "charts" and trend-lines are going to need some reworking.

What we are seeing is not a rebellion against 3D, it's a rebellion against high ticket prices and crap movies dressed up in 3D. You can't polish dirt, and you can't put lipstick on a pig.

 

[Brad Webb]

2 big tests of 3D and the box office are coming up. Both Transformers 3 and the Final Harry Potter are in 3D. These should be big draws regardless of 3D or not, so the amount of people that choose to see them in 3D will be a truer litmus test of where 3D is at.

My prediction - Harry Potter will be huge in 3D.

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Let's see if the "experts" are still trying to diss 3D when "The Hobbit" and "Avatar 2" drop. Suddenly their "charts" and trend-lines are going to need some reworking.

What we are seeing is not a rebellion against 3D, it's a rebellion against high ticket prices and crap movies dressed up in 3D. You can't polish dirt, and you can't put lipstick on a pig.

Good thing I read this or I would have re-written exactly the same thing...

Don't forget that total Global Box Office still rank 3D venues at a 61%, and an 11% in a Multi Billion dollar Industry is still lots of BANG!!

 

[JohnF]

What we are seeing is not a rebellion against 3D, it's a rebellion against high ticket prices and crap movies dressed up in 3D. You can't polish dirt, and you can't put lipstick on a pig.

As a matter of course over the years I do, let's say "informal audience research", on audience perceptions/feelings on the state/quality of our industry's products. And Tom's statement pretty much sums their feelings up.

Cinema tickets are generally regarded as too expensive. A common complaint is that for the price of two people going to the cinema one can get a decent take out meal and watch a dvd and even able to get a couple of beers if the dvd is on discount! It should be remembered that for most of cinema's history films were entertainment that were affordable for the majority of people. This majority represent the modal average income which is much lower than the mean average income. Thus, in short, as you raise the prices of tickets you push more of your audience away...
(An important note is that more people are starting feel the same about subscription TV.)

JohnF

 

[Stephen Pruitt]

I do think it is the beginning of the end for 3D. It probably won't ever die, but it's not going to take over filmmaking. And, boy, am I ever glad about that.

Stephen

 

[Solomon Nero]

I kinda feel like, it might take over...eventually. But i can confidently say not with the current technology...If it will ever be like, some kind of true 3D, where no glasses are required, and it really does feel like something right in front of you and not this...awkward illusion...

But the way its going now...the technology is just not there to have a payoff to see something in 3D...in my own humble opinion that is.

 

[hans de vries]

You can't polish dirt, and you can't put lipstick on a pig.

Actually you can, and the problem is that the result would be much more interesting looking than what's now being shot on 3d. I don't mind paying a lot of money to see a movie that will stay with me for the rest of my life, but that's not going to be made by Hollywood (unless I'm making a mistake here and Terence Malick and David Lynch are officially part of Hollywood).