'Clash of the Titans': To 3-D or Not To 3-D?

The 3-D bug has bitten Warner Bros., and now the studio is trying to position the remake of Clash of the Titans in that realm, which would mean a higher ticket price in about 1,000 3-D theaters this spring. Heat Vision Blog reports that the studio is ordering tests of the film to see what the converted scenes look like before deciding whether or not to upgrade the entire film. This isn't the first time we've heard this talk. Sam Worthington said the studio was looking at going the 3-D route after the positive reaction at the Warners to what they were seeing. Of course, he also mentioned additional scenes, which appear to be off the table at this juncture. Then director Louis Leterrier shot it down earlier this month. The latest news came yesterday, but before we published the story, I wanted to check with a source who has some knowledge of all this activity. What I've learned is that the decision about whether or not to go with 3-D has less to do with the upgrade and more to do with time to pull it off. If the process can't be completed in time for the March 26th release (and realistically, a while before that), the debate is whether or not pushing the film to a slightly later date in order to accommodate the 3-D is a worthwhile move. If the studio really is hunting for a new date to allow for more time, the ideal solution - and I'm merely speculating at this point, without the assistance of any inside information - would be to swap Titans with The Losers, Warner's April 9th opener. There hasn't been much promotion for it yet, anyway, so that's not a major factor. And anything else puts it in direct competition with Repo Men, Kick-Ass, MacGruber, or Nightmare on Elm Street. So if a move is necessary, that's the best way to go, but that hasn't been hashed out yet, from what I'm told. The good news is, Titans is "pretty amazing on its own," so if 3-D isn't in the cards for an external reason, we won't necessarily miss not having it. We'll keep you posted on this one.

Comments

[J.Bradley]

What's interesting, I think, is that they can "convert" movies to 3D. This says a lot about the adoption and standardization of 3D. Probably the big thing is the number of theaters with digital projection systems. The industry projections are that by '013, 83 percent of theaters will be digital. In '08, the statistical average time that a 3D movie was in theaters was 8 weeks. Last year it was three weeks. Some are saying that statistical average THIS year will be two. They really need more digital theaters to be able to turn 'em around. This would be competing with "Alice in Wonderland" - not just box office-wise, but for A SCREEN - (in some areas) if it came out in March. Remember, even "Alice in Wonderland" was gonna' be 2D at first, then they changed it. When there's more digital theaters, this kind of conversion may happen more often.