News
3-D Cinema Bottleneck Gripes
By Robert Marich
July 15, 2008 – Pundits seem to like to beat up on 3-D digital cinema, finding something wrong at every turn for what is really a growing success story. It’s true that there’s a shortage of screens, but temporary bottle necks are common for innovations. This will pass in two years.
A prime example of piling on is expose-like story in business publication Portfolio, which states film distributors “may just be fumbling in the dark (and have a) worry that borders on panic. … This story might not turn out the way Hollywood imagined.”
A requirement of 3-D is that it must be installed in digital projection auditoriums. About 5,000 of the 38,000 U.S. screens are digital (the rest use traditional mechanical projectors, which still have a lot of life in them). Of those digital screens, about 1,200 are thought to be 3-D equipped (at 800 locations). Promoters of 3-D hoped for several thousand screens by now, which is triggered the gloomy press, but will have to wait maybe two years.
Warner/New Line’s release Friday of Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D pulled 57% of its box office dollars from 3-D showings at 854 locations, or just 27% of its screens, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. The remake starring Brendan Fraser opened on 3,200 screens, both regular and 3-D. Journey’s opening was a satisfactory $21 million its first three days, ranking second.
Of course, what electrified the 3-D sector was the unexpected $65.3 million domestic box office for music performance film Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour, which exceeded expectations in its February release.
In describing Journey, Wall Street Journal reviewer Joe Morgenstern wrote, “3D movies have an ironclad obligation to scare the audience with water squirted from hoses or tossed from buckets, and this one observes the convention with a vengeance. (Watch out for spittle spit both by man and beast.) Beyond that, though, the illusion of depth enhances the imaginative treatment of an extremely simple story…”
There are two incompatible 3-D formats, which both require viewers wear light-weight special glasses. The vast majority of the installations are from RealD, which is far head of a system from Dolby Laboratories. These 3-D installations cost around $25,000 for each screen and there is a backlog.
Theaters operators hope 3-D will be a magnet to pull audiences away from the Internet and other new media distractions by offering the shared experience of cinema with unique visual presentation not available in home. Theaters intend to charge a premium for 3-D, typically $1-5.
True 3-D requires filming production with two cameras, instead of one, which can add several million dollars to a film’s production cost.
Digital projection is costly for theaters with equipment at about $80,000, versus $25,000 for mechanical projectors that offer comparable visual quality. Theaters are being careful in buying for worry this first generation 3-D equipment may become obsolete quickly.
Here’s some boilerplate description of RealD, which is the leading 3-D cinema projection outfit.
About RealD 3D
RealD 3D is the global leader in 3D, bringing the most advanced digital 3D experience to cinemas worldwide. RealD's next-generation technology, deployed across the world's largest 3D platform in 25 countries, provides a stunningly realistic and immersive experience beyond the usual concepts of 3D cinema. The impact of 3D upon today's moviemaking has been compared to the advent of color film when once there was only black and white. Beyond cinema, RealD 3D is the worldwide inventor of and pioneer in key stereoscopic technologies, with thirty years of scientific development behind its systems. Organizations such as NASA, Pfizer, BMW, Boeing, and more use RealD’s mission-critical 3-D visualization technologies. RealD was named to Fast Company’s “Fast 50” list of Most Innovative Companies in 2008. For more information, visit www.reald.com.
For other stories, click links below:
www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-word10-2008jul10,0,2129497.story
www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/culture-inc/arts/2008/06/16/Hollywoods-3-D-Cinema-Dreams