Are Audiences Fed Up with 3D Movies?

3D movies aren't new, they've been around in some form or other for decades. Alfred Hitchcock made a movie in 3D. However the previous times the format was introduced it faded fairly soon after. With the 3D explosion that followed in the wake of "Avatar" it really looked liked 3D was here to stay this time. For the first few years many films, even ones that nobody liked such as "The Last Airbender," enjoyed the "3D bump" to their box office totals. While 3D wasn't guaranteed to create a blockbuster it was clearly improving the box office numbers for the movies that had it. This summer something is amiss, with numerous 3D movies posting moderate to weak numbers, and increasingly fewer movie goers even going to see the movies in 3D at all.

Audiences seem to have gotten wise to the fact that films shot in 2D and then converted to 3D simply don't look as good. This has been a problem since the surge of 3D movies started, with the notoriously shoddy conversion of "Clash of the Titans" in 2010. Since then studios have been swearing up and down that they can do better, but audiences have yet to see that. While more recent converted movies aren't as bad as before, the effects are still underwhelming and don't add much to the experience. Audiences seemed ready to give post conversion another chance earlier this year, with 60% of the opening weekend audience for "Thor" seeing the film in 3D. However that's already dropped drastically for subsequent post converted films. "The Green Lantern" only managed to snag 36% of its audience for 3D screenings. The difference between a film shot in 3D and one post converted is obvious and audiences seem to be rejecting the latter. Studios seem to realize this as the films being filmed in 3D have that fact stressed in their advertising.

However, it isn't only post converted films that are seeing less of their revenue coming from 3D screenings. The bread and butter of 3D movies have been 3D animated features, such as those being released by Pixar and Dreamworks. Earlier this year "Kung Fu Panda 2" only had 45% of its opening weekend audience attending 3D screenings. For comparison "Megamind" managed to get 66% of its audience to see the film in 3D on the opening weekend less than a year ago. The issue for these films is probably more economic. With the additional cost of a 3D movie ranging from $1 to $5 extra per ticket it adds up very quickly for families, and with the economy as tight as it is fewer families are willing to pay the expense.

It's important to stress that none of this means that 3D is going away, even post converted 3D. Despite its decline it's still proving to be profitable for studios to create and release 3D movies. There may come a time when 3D conversions no longer become worth it and studios either make the choice to shoot films in 3D or just leave them alone, but it hasn't come to that point yet. Right now what the format needs is another "Avatar," a film that does more than just pop a few things out of the screen but creates a unique experience that is worth the extra money. There hasn't been any truly memorable use of 3D since the flying sequences in "How to Train Your Dragon." It's now on the studios to prove that it's more than just a cash grabbing gimmick and can reliably enhance the viewing experience.

Heading to the movies? Get an instant mobile coupon to use at select theaters for free popcorn!