Since its inception, the film industry has used innovative new technologies such as feature length narratives, sound and color to attract movie theater goers. When television drew audiences away from the movies, early 3-D films and cinemascope and widescreen formats were implemented to appeal to the public and lure them back into theaters. Today’s leading film executives are hoping that new 3-D films will once again entice viewers to get off their couches and computers and head back into the multiplexes. Though by no means a new technology, 3-D films— which have been mostly non-existent in mainstream Hollywood for almost twenty years, but have enjoyed prominence in IMAX— are now experiencing a resurgence in popularity and industry focus. In part this development results from the success of the IMAX 3-D release of The Polar Express in 2004 and last year’s smash hit Disney’s Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, The Best of Both Worlds 3D Concert Event which grossed over seventy million dollars. The Jonas Brothers, also successful Disney protégés, are following in the footsteps of Miley Cyrus by currently promoting their own IMAX 3-D Concert which will be released on Feb. 27th. The 81st annual Oscars -which will take place this Sunday- nominated two 3-D films, This Way Up and Bolt for best animated short and best animated feature length film respectfully. Additionally, Coraline(poster pictured above), an animated short being praised for its unique visuals and integrated use of 3-D debuted at number three at the box office its opening weekend and has remained in the top five, averaging the second highest grossing per screen revenue. In the summer of 2008 at the Intel Developed Forum (IDF) Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that 3-D is the “greatest innovation to occur in the movie business in 70 years,” and the great success of theses films does seem to support his claims but overall box office attendance still remains down and industry reliance on new 3-D films as their economic savior seems doubtful and almost irresponsible. As the economic crisis deepens the costs of creating these films, distributing them, and equipping multiplexes with the technology to screen them continues to grow. These increase costs have contributed to the rise in 3-D ticket prices at a time when the public is being seriously challenged by the current state of the economy. While film has always been a tool of escapism from the hardships of life it is doubtful that the 3-D renaissance will have the same opportunity to succeed as Katzenberg and others envision given the realities of the current recession.
The Polar Express 3-D film was screened at IMAX theaters but now that the film industry is promoting 3-D films as the new norm— with the upcoming releases of Monster vs. Alien, Avatar, G Force, Up, Final Destination 4 and the current releases of My Bloody Valentine and Coraline, all in 3-D,— regular multiplexes must adapt to the new digital 3-D technology or risk loosing substantial business. Even small independent theaters, which operate in specific market niches, are becoming 3-D equipped in order to remain competitive with other movie theaters and elaborate home entertainment systems. While 3-D is being exalted as the new frontier theaters are putting themselves at risk by investing in these expensive technologies before there is proof that 3-D is sustainable and not a passing fad.
In the fall of 2008 as AMC, Cinemark and Regal, the three largest theater chains in the US, were seeking to borrow money for digital 3-D conversion the world economy went into financial meltdown and the multimillion dollars worth of credit they needed disappeared, leaving only 22% of the 5,620 designated screens converted to 3-D digital. This left theaters ill equipped to receive the 3-D films they were meant to exhibit in the coming months and left studios without exhibition spaces for their films. With the release dates of multiple 3-D films quickly approaching the film industry went into panic mode trying to devise a way to still achieve wide releases(and thus profits) when only about 1,200 screens nationwide were 3-D ready. This disaster echoed the words of Knowledge @ Wharton who voiced fear in 2008 that theaters would not be ready in time for the influx of 3-D films. At the end of January, Paramount stepped up and is offering to pay “a specified "virtual" print fee to theater owners that convert at least 50% of screens to digital; the fee is higher for screens converted to 3-D”. Under this plan at least 2,000 screens should be 3-D ready in time for the films’ premieres and although studios planned for a larger screen count per the original conversion plan they are making it work and hoping that their bottom line isn’t too negatively impacted. Paramount itself is taking a huge risk financing these theaters but it is also hopefully leading a trend in Hollywood that others will follow. By financing 3-D and thus digital conversion it is preparing for Hollywood’s eventual shift to (film-print -free) digital exhibitions that will ultimately cost studios less money printing the film.
RealD is the industry leader in both converting 2-D theaters to 3-D and supplying equipment for 3-D filmmaking. Filmmakers are spending an extra $10-15 million dollars using this technology in their films and theaters are spending about $100,000 to upgrade a single screen from a standard 2-D to 3-D theater with an annual licensing and maintenance cost of about $25,000-30,000 per screen. The burden of these costs is being increasingly passed along to individual moviegoers who are expected to pay premium ticket prices for these films. While a normal 2-D movie has an average ticket price of $7.18, 3-D movie tickets had an average price of $15 in 2008 and they are expected to rise.
Back in 2007 Foxnews.com reported that Regal Entertainment Group said “moviegoers made no complaint about paying premium ticket prices [for 3-D] that were $2.50 to $4 higher than regular tickets”. Web Users disagree. Andrew James of rowthree.com was outraged by the $2 rental fee he was unexpectedly charged upon arriving at the theater to see Coraline. Even more troubling was Marina Antunes, who spent $30 for a ticket to My Bloody Valentine. Audiences are already feeling the pinch of raised movie tickets prices, and these additional 3-D charges could be their breaking point. By increasing their output of 3-D films studios expect a larger return, but by releasing so many 3-D movies studios may be driving audiences out of theaters with their
premium prices.Additionally, the draw of 3-D as an experience unique to the theater is quickly disappearing. Next3d.com is advertising HD quality 3-D content available at home through the X-box system. They claim that their technology could be ready as early as this spring and interest in such technology will only increase as moviegoers once again crave cheaper at-home alternatives to movie theaters. More importantly, studios and production companies themselves will need to utilize such technology in order for audiences to screen their 3-D films at home since the majority of movie studios make their revenue from DVDs sales and television licensing deals. It is ironic that studios must have a part in developing and utilizing the very technology that will ultimately draw its audience away from theaters.
Jeffrey Katzenberg honestly believes a new age of cinema is upon us. "The first [was] when movies went from silent films to talkies, and the second is when they went from black and white to color," he says. "And I believe what we are facing as an opportunity today is as great as either of those were.” He predicts that in "less than a handful of years," the great majority of films will be made and shown in 3-D. 3-D movies were always where the medium of film was thought to be headed and they will have their day, whether it is now or after the economic crisis. With a dozen 3-D films being released this year 2009 will be the year of 3-D irrespective of their individual success. However the question remains will 3-D be able to sustain itself after 2009, after its novelty has worn off and its technology has been spread to the masses? Only time and maybe Three Dimensional glasses (pictures above)will tell.
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