Do not forget to return your 3D glasses (a critique of 3D)
Phil Lelyveld
[Philip Lelyveld comment: this is a lengthy, comprehensive, and critical critique of the current state of the 3D experience in theatres and on personal devices.]
[Excerpt]
As 3D really took hold in the wake of the release of Avatar in December 2009, we got used to hearing that roughly 60% of a blockbuster’s income came from 3D. This summer the figure has hovered around 40%. Both figures are highly misleading. How much does 3D really bring in? …
Let’s look at the major 3D films out so far this year in terms of percentages of gross vs. percentages of theaters:
Film: Release Date (% of BO from 3D / % of locations showing 3D)
Green Hornet: January 14 (69% / 75%)
Gnomeo and Juliet: February 11 (58% / 60%)
Rio: April 15 ( 58% / 68%)
Thor: May 6 (60% / 69%)
Pirates of the Caribbean: 4: May 20 (46% / 66%)
Kung Fu Panda: 2 May 26 (45% / 69%)
Green Lantern: June 17 (45% / 71%)
Cars 2: June 24 (37% / 61%)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon: 3 July (60% / 70%)
Captain America: July 22 (40% / 68%)
Opening weekend only : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: July 15 (68% / 71%)
…
“3D is just one of an onslaught of features that end up on a phone even if people don’t ask for it,” said Maribel Lopez, an analyst at Lopez Research. …
If executives keep offering rationalizations and suggestions that we look to the future instead of the past, maybe we can conclude that 3D is officially in a slump.
Read the full article here: http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2011/07/27/do-not-forget-to-return-your-3d-glasses/print/
