Why American audiences are pulling away from 3D films and how “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” might turn the tide. Though ticket prices and bad quality have been scaring people away, killing the “Honeymoon period” of 3D, the general public might fall in love with it again if they give “Transformers” its chance.
18 months ago “Avatar” was released and everyone was excited. Audiences were enthralled in what was fantastic visual imagery, a compelling story arc and overall believed the 3D was perfect because it brought them into a world they had never seen or imagined before. Hollywood rubbed its dastardly hands together and hailed James Cameron as its savior.
Basically, 3D was seen as something that might make Hollywood King again. However, the “Honeymoon is over”. Until “Transformers 3” there have been little to no movies that can match the 3D we saw in “Avatar” and everyone had noticed. People are no longer going to 3D movies as much as they did before, whether it’s because of the ticket prices, the awkwardness of the glasses (especially when you have to wear those 3G glasses over your prescription glasses) or an overall apathy to the art.
Box office analyst Gitesh Pandya says: “I think the honeymoon for 3D is over – the percentage of grosses coming from 3D screens is getting less and less with almost every film.” The consensus is that the waning of audience interest in 3D can be blamed on poor quality renderings – too many shoddy upgrades of films conceived in 2D converted into unsatisfactory 3D in post-production, often as an afterthought. This poses two problems: One is that with these mediocre films there often have not been real dramatic differences between 2D and 3D versions. The other is that the audience is unaware that the converted 3D they just saw is a shoddy example of the quality it should be. When they get headaches or suffer eye-strain they assume that is the effect all 3D will have on them and make a mental note not to return.
Then there is the money issue. As a college student in Manhattan with a majority of friends who can barely afford college, let alone dropping $17 on a movie ticket (not including drinks or food) it becomes a very low priority to see a 3D film. Chris Weitz, one of Hollywood’s top directors, says: “3D is in trouble. It’s been overused. They’re charging more for 3D – people find it hard to justify paying more for a ticket when they don’t know if what they’ve seen is 3D or not.”
One of the most powerful figures in the media world, Sony chief executive Howard Stringer, also concedes 3D has been problematic. He does not single out his subordinates at Sony but points the finger at a lazy mentality in Hollywood in general. “People got a bit careless this year. You took it for granted. You take the easy money for doing a 3D movie and charging higher prices for it, but the audience isn’t stupid.”
So what does all this mean? I understand that anyone who would be reading this is most likely a huge 3D fan and are very well aware of these complaints. More importantly, you are tired of them. This is where “Transformers 3” comes in.
Industry insiders see “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” as a possibly pivotal movie in the evolution of 3D. The film was conceived entirely in 3D from the bottom up. As a consequence paying the extra ticket price may well prove worthwhile for audiences. One top US film critic, AO Scott from the New York Times, has written: “Dark of the Moon is one of the few recent 3D movies that justify the upcharge.” The film’s stars hope their movie will reacquaint audiences with the magic of 3D not witnessed since Avatar.
This week at Dark of the Moon’s New York premiere Shia LaBeouf – the film’s leading man – was really giving the format the hard sell. “There’s no other way to see this movie – truthfully – I like the movie and I hate 3D, I have yet to see a movie that’s enhanced the medium, but this is different and I’m not saying that just because I’m in it. This is the perfection of 3D,” he said.
3D is not going to go away – but the industry needs to move quickly to make a correction. One possible strategy is that the studios will now make fewer 3D pictures but strive to make them of a much higher quality. It won’t be easy, but the pressure is really on to get this right. Hollywood desperately needs the extra long-term revenues 3D initially promised but has not yet been able to deliver.
Source: BBC News – America
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