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Saturday
Apr042009

Will 'Monsters vs. Aliens' Push Older Films Into 3-D?

DateSaturday, April 4, 2009 at 4:56PM
The battle rages on over 3-D. There are proponents and critics, and recently Michael Bay told a crowd at ShoWest that 3-D was a gimmick and nothing more. The real answer, as it is with everthing in this industry, is its ability to make a dollar, preferably many dollars.

And while 3-D did not distinguish itself for a good long while, the arrival of Monsters vs. Aliens has again raised the question of how profitable it can be. Variety has a great new article about where 3-D is now and where it's going. In the report is an estimate on how much more a 3-D production costs to be 3-D ($10 - $14 million), and the next step in the process seems to be upconverting older films to 3-D.

Disney has done it with Nightmare Before Christmas, but the list of movies that have at least tested the "dimensionalization" process includes Titanic and the first Star Wars trilogy. But if Titanic comes back to theaters, could it earn $20 million to make the exercise worthwhile? I think the Star Wars trilogy could probably cash in, making at least $60 million between the three films, but George Lucas won't move forward until there are more 3-D screens, which is a tug of war unto itself.

The current climate, in which new 3-D films like Monsters vs. Aliens and Up are released in both standard format and 3-D theaters makes wearing the glasses a choice, but since there's no point to put Star Wars back in theaters without 3-D, exhibitors nationwide would have to commit to more screens, indicating that theater owners believe in 3-D as a big part of the future.

But would all of this be limited to sci-fi movies and action flicks? Why, no. 3-D production house In-Three has already transfered the final airport scene from Casablanca just to see how effective the process is.

I think we're still a couple of years away from knowing how legitimate it is. I disagree with Bay that it's a gimmick, but it isn't to the point yet that it has become necessary. But by the end of this year, we'll have a better handle on how audiences respond to a wide variety of films released in 3-D.

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Reader Comments (2)

I think we should all wait to see what happens with Avatar. Cameron's process is alledgedly unique and he wants, as always, to be a pioneer.

Saturday, April 4, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterMRPigg

I read that Beauty and the Beast is coming out February 2010 in 3-D

Saturday, April 4, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterChris

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