Is The Digital 3D Movie “Fad” Over?
By Peter Sciretta/July 13, 2009 6:00 am EST
The Los Angeles Times reports that the 3D per screen averages have dropped over the last six months, which may suggest that audience interest for this new format might be “waning.” Here are the statistics:
Does this mean that the Digital 3D “fad” is finally coming to an end? I don’t think so.
Full disclosure: I’m actually in the camp that believes that 3D isn’t a fad. But at the same time, unlike Jeffrey Katzenberg, I don’t think every movie 10 years from now will be projected in 3D.
The amount of 3D theaters is on the rise. When My Bloody Valentine 3-D hit theaters, it played on 900 screens in 3D (LA Times claims 1,033, but I’ll trust the New York Times number), and another 1,600 screens in 2D. When Monsters vs. Aliens came out in March, there were 1,550 digital 3D screens, but the movie played on over 2,586 screens in 2D. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was released on 1,620 3D screens (and another 2,482 screens in 2D).
Splitting the Vote: Could it be that the 62% rise in the amount of available 3D screens could have split the vote a bit? If you’re selling out in every 3D screen and double the amount of 3D screens, chances are that you’ll no longer be selling out every 3D screen. Audiences no longer need to travel far to find a 3D capable theater. As the 3D theater count rises, the per screen ratio is bound to come down. That is to be expected.
And lets not forget that James Cameron’s Avatar hits theaters in December, and almost everyone is expecting that release to raise the bar and revolutionize the experience of watching a movie in 3D. Who knows if that will actually happen. But I think the ratio numbers of a movie like that will be very telling.
