3D Cinema Profitable, But Still Being Bickered Over

Back in January, we saw how 3D cinema, the entertainment that’s a whole dimension more entertaining, was stalling amid wrangling between studios and cinema chains. The studios thought the chains would buy the equipment to show the films, because cinemas would be able to get more revenue by charging more for tickets; the chains thought the studios would buy it for exactly the same reasons. And now Fox is continuing the spat by saying it’s not going to fork out for the glasses needed to watch their 3D films.

The reaction from cinema chains has been swift and predictable – they’re just not going to show the films, like the latest in the Ice Age saga, in 3D. ”To come in at this point and say they aren’t going to pay for the glasses, yet they want all the upside of the revenue, is ridiculous”, said one anonymous cinema owner.

But maybe they should think again, as the release of Monsters Vs. Aliens last week in America (and today this side of the pond) proved that there’s an audience willing to pay more for 3D. Only 30% of screens were showing it in 3D, but 56% of the ticket sales came from those screens. 

And the stalemate between the two parties looks like it’s finally breaking up a little. At the ShoWest electronics conference in – where else? – Las Vegas, Sony cut deals with five megaplexes to share costs of installing their 4K digital technology, which includes 3D projection. Dolby also announced it can now do 3D projections on 70ft screens, which sounds terrifying. And AMC, the big American chain, said that it’s going ahead with 1,500 3D screens (though they didn’t say who was paying for what).

Not that the BBC’s impressed. “So where do we go from here – 4D? 5D?”, they ask the directors of Monsters Vs. Aliens. 5D? I think those are the films where you surf an astral plane with Jesus as your instructor. “Smarter people than me have to develop that”, is their answer.

Posted by Ben Beaumont-Thomas in Creative Economy | April 3, 2009 1:10PM |