3D Films Show Signs Of Consumer Fatigue

(From Broadcast Engineering -- By Michael Grotticelli)

It seems like it's been a long time since AVATAR launched the current 3D movement by taking in $2.73 billion at the box office, but that was only last year.

This year has not been so successful with the flop of CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE O KITTY GALORE and STEP UP 3D, the dance film.

With 3D tickets priced as high as 50 percent more than comparable 2D films, analysts have expressed doubts about whether consumer appetite for the format can be sustained.

"The studios and theaters are overpricing 3D films, and there's too much of it out there," RICHARD GREENFIELD, an analyst with BTG RESEARCH, told THE FINANCIAL TIMES. "They are converting all of their movies into 3D without any regard to quality."

"The studios are guilty of short-term thinking," said BRANDON GRAY, President of BOX OFFICE MOJO, a firm that tracks film box-office performance. "They all jumped on the 3D bandwagon, but they're avoiding the real issue, which is their bankruptcy regarding storytelling."

Meanwhile, TV set manufacturers are hedging their bets in the current cutthroat environment amid a slow U.S. economic recovery. Many retail outlets feature one or two 3D TV set displays among more than a dozen 2D HD models.

Consumers still consider 3D TV an expensive gimmick, and there's not much more the manufacturers can do to produce better hardware with higher specs.

3D Films Show Signs Of Consumer Fatigue