3-D movies, gadgets getting lukewarm reception by some
— -- Is a 3-D backlash underway?
Trailers for Shark Night 3D, a PG-13 film swarming into theaters this weekend, note prominently that the movie is "also showing in 2D."
Dolphin Tale, out in three weeks, takes a similar tack. Several summer 3-D films fell flat, and studios appear to be covering their bets by letting moviegoers know there's a lower-priced traditional viewing option.
"If you do a side-by-side of the movie posters of the last three years that '3-D' almost keeps getting smaller and smaller in the actual posters," says Jeff Bock of industry tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
On average, 3-D revenue is making up less of a film's box office revenue so far in 2011, accounting for 54%, compared with 67% last year, says IHS senior analyst Charlotte Jones. "Audiences are being more picky about when they are choosing to pay more for the (3-D) experience," she says. Ticket prices for 3-D shows can be $3 to $5 more than for 2-D ones.
Consumer response to 3-D is lackluster across the entertainment landscape. Last month, Nintendo dropped the price by $80 for its 6-month-old Nintendo 3DS handheld (now $170) due to lagging sales.
And while 3-D TV sales are rising slightly compared with last year, 3-D capability "is still not serving as a very strong motivator" for consumers to buy, says Ross Rubin of market tracking firm The NPD Group. About 8% of all flat-panel displays sold have 3-D features, NPD says. "But there's a lot of concern about the price (of 3-D TVs and) … the glasses as well."
TV content providers and setmakers alike are trying to increase 3-D programming to drive sales of higher-priced tickets and TVs. Broadcasts of the U.S. Open tennis tournament and the college football season in 3-D have been expanded. And Panasonic and the International Olympic Committee just announced that the 2012 Winter Olympics in London would be the first live 3-D broadcast Games.
More 3-D TV broadcasts and films, about three a month, are coming to theaters, says Tim Alessi of LG Electronics.
LG is addressing concerns about price with less-expensive, lighter-weight glasses for its Cinema 3D TVs. Typical 3-D glasses can cost $150 a pair; LG's start at $25 a pair, and some stores currently are including 10 pairs free with purchase of a Cinema 3D set. "This eliminates a significant barrier for adoption," Alessi says.
And there are some high-profile 3-D films in the works, including Martin Scorsese's Hugo (Nov. 23), Steven Spielberg's computer-animated The Adventures of Tintin (Dec. 23) and Ridley Scott's Alien prequel Prometheus (2012). Francis Ford Coppola incorporated 3-D segments in the making of Twixt (no release date).
"Let the masters of the cinema have their go at 3-D before we say this fad is over, for sure," Bock says.
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