Opinion: How the Movie Industry Can Avoid 3D Becoming Another Fad

  • Variety writer David S. Cohen says today’s 3D wave is not the same 18-month fad the industry experienced in the 1950s. Even so, he remains skeptical about its future based on filmmakers’ mindsets.
  • “Release my movie in 3D if you must — but don’t make me change one single thing I’m used to doing” is the attitude of many in the industry, Cohen writes.
  • The pricing also plays into 3D’s future. “I think the 3D upcharge is proving both a blessing and a curse,” he notes. “We’re getting movies with enough 3D to collect the upcharge, but not enough to deliver the premium experience the audience is paying for.”
  • 3D has developed a bad reputation, which Cohen attributes to the “cynical content creation on the one hand and poor projection on the other,” both of which reflect a philosophy of collecting the upcharge with minimal effort.
  • “But if filmmakers don’t embrace 3D and make it a plus in their storytelling, and if exhibs won’t do the extra work and spend the extra money to show 3D beautifully, eventually auds might decide that aside from the work of a few people who have publicly promoted the format, Hollywood’s 3D is just a cynical cash-grab. And the sad part is, they might be right,” Cohen concludes.

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