Well...it looks like IMAX isn't ready to give up 3D just yet. I wondered if they would. Their announcement that "Blade Runner 2049" was going to be shown in 2D only got them LOTS of negative publicity from fans (in all fairness, there were lots of people who also were on board with the choice)! There are signs that IMAX may be having some second thoughts about the new policy in regards to certain movies. Maybe "Blade Runner 2049" is a movie they think they can get away with testing a 2D only release on, but they certainly aren't pulling the 3D version of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Furthermore, their four biggest hits of the year were "Wonder Woman," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," "Spider-Man: Homecoming," and "Dunkirk." What may stand out is that three of those movies are in 3D and all three are superhero movies, which means they might not want to throw that audience out to the curb just yet (especially when the re-release of "Wonder Woman" was in 3D and did very well). So, they are compromising...
As you can see, at the three IMAX's in my area that have confirmed "Thor: Ragnorak" will be showing at, the theaters will be showing both 2D AND 3D versions of the movie! No doubt they will do this for the next few superhero movies to see which versions sell more tickets. I also have no doubt that the 2D showings will be given the more time friendly showings, with the 3D versions showing first thing in the morning and last thing at night. It might also make good market sense though. 3D fans will go out of their way to see the 3D versions, so putting them in undesirable timeslots might just capitalize on that "niche" market. That said, take note of the IMAX only poster for the movie above. Notice how it only advertises the film as being played "in IMAX" and omits the 3D part? That is deliberate, believe me. They don't want to commit to showing 3D films anymore. They want an out, so they won't advertise it anymore.
I suspect this to be the case for at least a little while. My prediction is that this experiment is ultimately going to be a bust. I don't think peoples viewing habits are going to change much, and something tells me that since the biggest barrier people have with 3D is the cost (which IMAX cost the same regardless which version you are watching) I believe both versions will sell roughly the same amount of tickets. The good news for us is that this means 3D will still be carrying its weight at the theater. The bad news means the IMAX Corporation won't have that excuse anymore when it comes time to explain falling ticket sales again, and they might have to address the REAL reasons people aren't going to IMAX anymore: Smaller screens, high ticket price, and bad movies that don't benefit from being on a giant screen!
Good luck guys.
0 comments:
Post a Comment