James Cameron Doesn't Want 3D TV's to Come Back

 

James Cameron is having a busy year. Not only will "Avatar" be re-released in a week in IMAX 3D (in 48 FPS no less), but in December the long-awaited sequel - "Avatar: The Way of Water" - will finally be released in theaters (where I personally predict it will be a MAJOR hit)! As such, he's making the press rounds to promote his new projects. While he was doing the rounds, he was asked about 3D TVs and why they failed. He answered:

I know why all that failed because there was — what they did was they jumped into 3D trying to cash in the boom at theaters and treat it as a feature," he explained. "So, they did 3D, but they did it with glasses that needed to be recharged and all that. Whereas just over the horizon was glasses-free, large flat screen TVs which actually look pretty good. ... Not everybody is a film geek like I am where you sit down you put the glasses on by yourself and you just watch a whole movie, which is more what the theatrical experience is. So, it kind of got out of step.

What's more, Cameron revealed a surprising opinion on whether or not he wants 3D TVs to return to the living rooms.

I think it could, but I can't say because the home viewing experience is fundamentally different than the theatrical experience. I'm perfectly happy if the only place you can really get it is in a movie theater because it speaks to that specialness of the cinematic experience, which is obviously what the Avatar re-release is in the first place.

He then continued to talk about how annoyed he is that kids will binge four- or five-hour long TV episodes in a row but not watch a three-hour movie...but honestly, we're not going to get into that one. We're also going to gloss over his opinions on why he thinks 3D TV failed. While I agree that the types of glasses and quality of screens played a big role in the demise, that is a loaded question that we have delved into multiple times on this site (and will continue to do so in the future).

What stood out to me (and what may stand out to you) is that Cameron is ok with 3D not coming back to the living room. He likes the idea that the best way to experience his movies is on a big screen. While I'm certain the knee-jerk reaction is to rail against him, keep in mind that this is not a new way of thinking for filmmakers. Back in the day, many filmmakers railed against the idea of their movies playing on television (an airing of the Best Picture-winner "Bridge on the River Kwai" was deemed 'Black Friday' by many in Hollywood back in the day). For that matter, while we may be enjoying the 40th-anniversary IMAX re-release of "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," if Steven Spielberg had his way seeing the movie in theaters would be the only way to watch the film.

Yep, at one point Spielberg refused to allow 'E.T.' to be released on the newly successful VHS format, and he only wanted it to be seen in theaters. Eventually, he came off this source and 'E.T.' would go on to become one of the best-selling VHS tapes of all time, but it goes to show that filmmakers will ALWAYS want their films seen in theaters rather than at home! Will Cameron get his wish? I have no idea. There has been no movement on bringing 3D TVs back into the living rooms, so for the time being this may very well happen. I still believe that once "Avatar: The Way of Water" becomes the huge success I believe it will be, some TV manufacturers will gladly make a deal with him to make a great 3D TV so long as they have exclusive rights to the movie on their set (kind of like what happened with the original "Avatar").

Because money talks and money walks, and if there is money to be made in 3D someone will jump on it. It will help that there is more 3D content available now than twelve years ago. What's more, it would actually take less bandwidth to stream a 3D film than it does a 4K film, so if a TV manufacturer did make a TV there would be new content most of these streaming services could offer to take advantage of that audience (VUDU has a leg up on the competition in this case). Keep in mind that this is all me dreaming. Whether "Avatar: The Way of Water" is a big enough success to bring 3D TVs back is likely a pipe dream. But hey, you may say I'm a dreamer...but I'm not the only one!

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Is the "JAWS" IMAX Re-Release Going to be in 3D?

A week ago, IMAX re-released Steven Spielberg's classic film "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" in cinemas. I took my niece and nephews to their first IMAX movie, and we all loved it. On the way out the kids noticed that IMAX will be re-releasing another Spielberg classic: "JAWS." The poster advertised the following:

Coming to IMAX and RealD 3D

While the poster does advertise two formats, it didn't specify if any of the 3D screenings would go to IMAX. I sent e-mails that went unanswered, but we are starting to get showtimes for this re-release and the answer to that appears to be...no, the IMAX screenings will not be in 3D. For that matter, despite advance tickets going on sale for most of my theaters, none of the screenings appear to be for the RealD 3D version. I have no doubt a 3D version was made, but it is odd that we are so close to the release and someone like me - that is, someone who lives in Los Angeles and can see whatever movie he wants to see for the most part - doesn't appear to have access to any 3D showings of the movie.

I'll keep an eye out to see if theaters even book the RealD 3D version, but I'm going to be upfront with you: I already have got my tickets for the IMAX 2D showing. No offense to fans of 3D, but there's a part of me that hopes we never see this version. This series already has a history of dipping its fin in the world of 3D and, well..it didn't turn out so good. Factor in the reality that the vast majority of 3D re-releases from old movies have not turned out to be good, I'm going to go on a limb and saw that seeing this one in IMAX 2D is going to be the way to go. For that matter, we've been watching this movie in 2D for more than three decades, so why change course now, right?! Anyway, there's my little update on "JAWS" upcoming re-release. Now I need to lie down and finish recovering from Covid-19.

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Why I Blame LG for Tragically Killing the Home 3D Market

Guest blog by David Brandt-Erichsen

I became a fan of home 3D in 2016 when I got my new LG flatscreen 4K OLED 3D TV. The very first time I saw the 3D picture on that set, my jaw dropped to the floor. It was stunning! Friends I showed it to all had the same reaction. The most common comment, after picking their jaws up off the floor so they could speak again, was “I want one of these.”

LG had perfected 3D TV. Nothing like this quality for 3D TV had existed before.

By 2016, 3D TV was already well on the way out. That year, only two manufacturers were still making 3D TVs. 3D TV had always been a niche market, partly because the technology really wasn’t all that good. It was fun, but the picture was not as good as a 2D picture. It was subject to ghosting (crosstalk) and the picture just didn’t look as real.

Originally, the only way to get a high-definition picture in 3D was with active shutter glasses, which were expensive and relatively heavy, especially at first. Companies like LG later introduced passive 3D with polarized glasses, which were like the ones in theaters, both cheap and lightweight. But the polarization cuts the resolution in half so with passive 3D a full high-definition 3D picture was not possible on a high-definition TV.

Then, in 2015, LG introduced the first flatscreen 4K OLED 3D TV, with passive 3D. What a difference! On these sets, a full high-definition picture was upscaled to 4K, so when the polarization cuts the resolution in half, you are left with the full high-definition 3D picture you started with. With passive 3D, this is only possible with a 4K TV. Add in the benefits of OLED’s direct emission of light — excellent contrast, vivid colors, wide field of view — and you end up literally with a perfect 3D image, with no ghosting. It is just as real looking as the 2D picture (actually more so) and is almost like looking through a window. In 3D mode, the brightness of the TV was even automatically increased to compensate for the darkness of the glasses.

Words fail me in describing the stunningly beautiful 3D picture on this set. I was convinced this could revive interest in 3D TV and potentially save the entire 3D industry. It was that good. I knew from experience that almost anyone who saw this picture would want one.

The problem was people never got a chance to see it. LG (and every other TV manufacturer) discontinued 3D after the 2016 models. LG cited “lack of consumer interest” and insisted that the cost of producing 3D sets was not a factor in the decision to discontinue.

So why was there a “lack of consumer interest” in this incredible quality picture? I blame LG for this. They made two incredibly stupid marketing decisions:

1. LG never marketed the 3D, never told anyone it was superior to previous 3D TVs, and never (perhaps apart from a few specialty stores) allowed anyone to see the 3D before they bought the TV. I remember going into Best Buy asking if I could see the 3D on the OLED. The answer was no, that LG had a built-in demo and they could not override it and it did not include 3D (in fact they could override it, but they did not want to bother). LG spent millions of dollars on a Super Bowl ad in 2016 which did not even mention that 3D was available, let alone that it was superior. 

2. LG’s pricing structure ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED that 3D would fail. Their lowest-priced models and their most expensive models all had the same picture quality, so of course, the lowest-priced models vastly outsold the more expensive models. Their two lowest-priced models, the B6 and the C6, were the same price. The B6 was flatscreen and had no 3D. The C6 had 3D but also a curved screen. Curved screens were one of the worst ideas in TV history and were also on the way out, and were being soundly rejected by consumers, so naturally, the B6 vastly outsold the C6. LG took this as a rejection of 3D when it was really a rejection of curved screens and an indifference to 3D because nobody knew how good it was. The next model up, the E6, had a flat screen and 3D but cost $1000 more, even though 3D itself did not require a higher price. Nobody in their right mind (except me) would pay $1000 more for 3D that they had never seen and were never given a good reason to get.

If LG had only reversed the B6 and C6 features and paired the 3D with the flat screen on the least expensive set, the result may have been very different. But the way they did it, 3D was not even given a chance. (I was also angry that I had to spend $1000 extra to get a flat-screen paired with 3D.) Note that in 2017, LG discontinued curved screens as well as discontinuing 3D.

I think that LG either did not realize how incredibly good their 3D was or didn’t care. Perhaps they just thought that it was too late to reverse the trend on 3D. If so, I think they were wrong. LG just did not believe in their product. If only they had advertised it, if only they had demos in the stores (it only takes 5 seconds to hook people on the 3D on these sets), I think 3D could have taken off again, far stronger than before. And both LG and humanity would be the benefactor. If LG was correct that cost really was not a significant factor, it is doubly tragic to lose this technology due only to bad decision-making on their part.

I think that 3D on these OLEDs constitutes the most beautiful TV picture ever created, significantly better than UHD with HDR. It is a tragedy that this beauty is now denied to humanity. I blame LG for taking it away from us.

Not All 3D Movies Are Created Equal

Now, when I say that 3D is perfect on the LG 4K OLEDs, I should probably qualify that statement. Not all 3D movies are perfect, but the vast majority of Blu-rays of 3D movies made since the year 2000 will indeed display perfectly on these sets. 3D Blu-rays that will not display perfectly is almost always in the following four categories.

1. Low-budget native 3D movies made since 2000 can sometimes have light glare on an object on screen (e.g. hair with too much gel), and this can make that object appear in a slightly different plane, causing eye strain. Movies with decent budgets generally have directors that understand 3D well enough to avoid this from happening. Most movies with this problem are not very good movies anyway. Since light glare causes some polarization, it is possible this problem is limited to passive (i.e. polarized) 3D systems, but I am just guessing here and do not have a way to check out this idea.

2. Low-budget 3D conversions can either have little 3D depth (e.g. Clash of the Titans) or, much worse, have conversion errors. The worst conversion errors I have seen were on low-budget Chinese conversions where sometimes people even appeared to have two heads, one in back of the other. These were just not made properly. Such conversion errors are rare, and if I remember correctly are limited to non-U.S. movies. They tend not to be very good movies either. A good 3D conversion costs from six to ten million dollars and can look even better than native 3D because the results are better controlled. (Chinese 3D movies can have gorgeous 3D. Tsui Hark is one Chinese director who understands 3D very well, and his 3D movies are especially good-looking.)

3. Vintage or “Golden Age” 3D movies, most of them made in 1953, do not have perfect 3D. It is fun to watch, for example, the Alfred Hitchcock movie Dial M for Murder in 3D, but it is definitely not perfect. None of them are, but they are generally quite watchable.

4. 3D movies from the 70s and 80s are universally terrible and I find the 3D completely unwatchable. I have not found any exceptions.

David Brandt-Erichsen is a retired research assistant in molecular genetics, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Space Society, a volunteer webmaster for the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, and an avid 3D collector with over 550 3D Blu-ray disks.

If you want to contribute a blog post of your own, reach out to Kevin at greatmediauniverse@gmail.com!

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"Thor: Love and Thunder" Confirmed for IMAX 3D ('Minions' & "Lighter" 2D Only)

 

Marvel's upcoming "Thor: Love and Thunder" will be receiving an IMAX 3D release along with other premium 3D screenings. These include (but may not be limited to): 4DX, PRIME 3D, and XD 3D.  Right now, the formats that are up in the air are Dolby Cinema 3D (which hasn't shown a 3D movie in YEARS) and RPX.  Most showtimes in my area are in the mid-to-late afternoon, so theaters must feel that it's worth their time to start releasing big-budget Hollywood movies in 3D again, so seeing the latest Marvel movie get approved for 3D screenings on premium formats isn't too surprising.  One area where 3D fans may find themselves a little more disappointed is the fact that while those live-action PG-13 movies are getting 3D screenings, family films seem to not be getting the same treatment. Illuminations "Minions: The Rise of Gru" and Pixar's first theatrical film in years "Lightyear" don't appear to be getting any premium 3D screenings.

Sure, if you want to see these movies in 3D you will have the opportunity to on standard screens, but so far, I haven't seen any commitment for bigger-than-usual screens.  This doesn't and does make sense at the same time.  On the one hand, it doesn't make sense because kids love 3D movies. Go to any 3D movie with kids and you'll hear tons of "wows" and "cool" throughout the film.  On the other hand, 3D movies are more expensive.  Yeah, IMAX 3D is only one dollar more than IMAX, but parents tend to be very budget-conscious when it comes to family outings at the movies.  Throw in high gas prices and record inflation, and even an extra $4 can seem like an extra $40 to most families.  And be honest with yourself: Would YOU pay extra to take your kids to see "Minions: The Rise of Gru?!"  I'm not looking forward to paying $3 to see it for myself.

This hurts a little bit more with "Lightyear" though.  While Pixar's track record with 3D has been fairly shaky, "Lightyear" looks like it having the 3D effects will greatly benefit the film.  Unfortunately, a real choice will have to be made, because it is also the first animated film to have scenes optimized exclusively for IMAX, which is a huge deal in and of itself.  Although I know some of my readers take a "no 3D, no ticket" stance (and it's perfectly fine if you do), most movie fans will want to see this IMAX just for this fact alone.  It's enough of a big deal that our 'IMAX vs. RealD 3D' feature will be returning for this movie (and maybe for 'Minions' as well).  In the meantime, I consider it a good thing that at least 3D screenings for big-budget blockbusters are returning to premium screens like IMAX and XD!

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"Jurassic World: Dominion" Gets MAJOR 3D Push: IMAX 3D, XD 3D, PRIME 3D, & 4DX 3D Screenings CONFIRMED!!!

 

Either movie theaters are preparing people for another 3D wave that's anticipated with the upcoming "Avatar: The Way of Water" or "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" did much better business with 3D screenings than anticipated (maybe a bit of both), but "Jurassic World: Dominion" is getting the biggest 3D release I've personally seen in years!  I was pretty happy to see 3D make a comeback with "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," but it was pretty obvious that the waters were being tested with that one.  The RealD 3D screens were the smallest screens in the theaters and most IMAX were only dedicating one showtime a day to the 3D version.  Despite the fact that Kevin Feige clearly stated that the 3D version was the way to view it, theaters approached the release with caution.  While this isn't the first 3D movie we've gotten since the world re-opened after the pandemic (I saw "Black Widow" in 4DX 3D and "Eternals" in PRIME 3D) it was the first movie to get a serious push (complete with a dedicated 3D poster and everything).

That push must have paid off because "Jurassic World: Dominion" is getting an even bigger push.  The film will not only be screening in IMAX 3D, but some of those showtimes will be in prime slots.  On the opening Thursday preview, one of my AMC's is showing the IMAX 3D version at 8:00pm while the standard IMAX 2D screening is getting the less desirable 11:20pm timeslot.  What's more, AMC appears to be dedicating most (if not all) of their PRIME screens to having the film in 3D.  It's the first time I've seen Cinemark (sans Doctor Strange of course) displayed in XD 3D.  What's more, both Cinemark AND Regal are dedicating multiple screens to projecting the film in 3D!  And yes: 4DX screenings will also be in 3D (I feel this should be an automatic, but this is the world we live in).  If you want to see "Jurassic World: Dominion" in 3D there is no excuse not to.

Course, if no one buys tickets to this in 3D things can change.  "Minions: The Rise of Gru" has at least some regular 3D screenings planned, but IMAX and AMC haven't made any choices about their premium screens having 3D showings.  "Lightyear" is the next major 3D movie coming out, and if "Jurassic World: Dominion" does particularly well we may see that movie in IMAC 3D and PRIME 3D as well!  Either way, 3D fans have a rare opportunity to not only see "Jurassic World: Dominion" in premium 3D formats, but also at times that are reasonable.  If you want to see the trend continue, you've got to voice your support by buying a ticket or two to these screenings.

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Top 10 Best BluRay 3D's (2022 Edition)

We now begin discussing 3D BluRay's that I feel are (mostly) worth having your collection.  Like the last update, we're tackling bad movies with excellent 3D transfers.  I'll leave it up to you to decide whether excellent 3D is enough to compensate for a bad or average film.  Later this week I'll drop the other list.  After that...I should probably work on an actual article again, what do you think?!

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Top 10 Worst BluRay 3D's - Part 2 (2022 Edition)

Here's the second list of worst BluRay 3D's you can currently buy (this time for the good movies).  Enjoy (and don't forget to like, favorite, and share)!

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Top 10 Worst BluRay 3D's (2022 Edition)

 

Several years ago I did a couple of videos where I discussed the best and worst BluRay 3D discs I had on my shelf.  I've decided it was time to update those lists and also expand on them with four new ones!  Above is the worst BluRay 3D movies I own for BAD movies!  In a few days we'll list the worst I have for good movies.  Keep an eye on this blog and subscribe to the YouTube channel above to be notified when the next ones will be uploaded!

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BluRay 3D of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is Region Locked

This is going to be a quick one, but the recently announced BluRay 3D release from Random Space Media is - in fact - NOT region free!  The disc will be locked for Region B customers.  If you have a region free player, enjoy the disc!  If not...well, either get one or adjust your plans accordingly.

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"Spider-Man: No Way Home" Confirmed for BluRay 3D

 

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" has been confirmed for a release in BluRay 3D!  The disc will be brought to us via Random Space in Australia, and will be released sometime in July or August!  The bad news: you'll have to import this disc. The good news: it's region free.  The best news: "Spider-Man: No Way Home" IS coming to BluRay 3D!  You know, I was so convinced this wasn't coming to BluRay 3D, I decided to buy the UltraHD release a few weeks ago.  While I will keep that disc (having a 4K disc is certainly handy when I go to my parents house) it appears that I will officially be buying this movie again on disc.  Oh, one more thing (though this is kind of personal): while I am obviously thrilled that we have a chance to watch this excellent 3D movie at home, considering I saw this movie three times in theaters and am now buying it twice at home, at what point am I supporting the product and instead just sending Sony money?

Just a thought...great news though!

P.S. As I predicted last year, "Sing 2" doesn't appear to have a BluRay 3D release.

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'Doctor Strange 2' is Worth Paying Extra to See in 3D

So, one of the things we normally do on this site is a '2D vs 3D' column.  While a fair amount of my viewers will choose to see movies in 3D regardless of the 'pop' they produce, I personally know that 3D isn't a cheap option.  Despite being around for more than ten years, movie theaters are still up charging for the experience, which at $4 a ticket could be an additional $12 for a family of four.  When you add that $12 on top of the average $56 it costs for most families of four to see the movie...well, you've got a $68 day out for the family (not including popcorn and drinks).  Now you take inflation into account, and I think if we want 3D to be more adapted, we should be fair and honest about what 3D movies are worth paying more for and which ones are essentially using 3D as an excuse to upcharge.  That's why we have this long running feature.  However, there is no purpose in writing that article this time around because there is one undeniable truth this time around:

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is the best 3D experience in almost five years, and you absolutely should pay extra to see it in this format if you are at all interested in seeing this!

I thought I would be a little less blunt about saying that, but really, I see no need to; "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" uses 3D so brilliantly, so effortlessly, that it makes you made more 3D films aren't like this.  I'm not saying that all 3D movies need to feature multiverses (honestly, with three of these movies in less than a year...I'm sort of over the idea), but they do need to have brilliant camera angles, long shots that allow you to take in your surroundings, and the effect needs to need to make the action more intense and immersive.  Everything great about 3D that I swear on this blog year after year is represented in this movie, and even if it has to be a regular 3D screening (as opposed to the EXCELLENT IMAX 3D screenings) it's something WELL worth paying extra money for!

But hey, don't take my word for it: "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" producer (and head figure at Marvel Studios) Kevin Feige has claimed that this is Marvel's best use of 3D in a long time (depending on what you consider a Marvel movie, this is likely either "Ant-Man & the Wasp" or "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse")!  Straight from the horse's mouth:

But I will say, Sam has made this movie to be experienced on as big a screen as possible, and it’s even the first one in a long time that 3D was really taken into account, too, because the first Doctor Strange film I think was out best film ever in 3D, and this one now will be right alongside that.

So that settles that: "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" is a must-see 3D experience!  That's great news!  Slightly better news is that the 3D screenings will likely stick around for a second week because the teaser for "Avatar: The Way of Water" plays before this movie, and word-of-mouth is growing that it's worth seeing the 3D version of "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" JUST to see how excellent that teaser looks!  I may write about the teaser at a later date (I actually have a lot to say about it), however, should that post not come until 3D showings of Doctor Strange are largely over, I will concur that it is another reason to shell out an extra few bucks to see this movie in 3D.  Ultimately though, how much do I recommend it?

Well, let's say this: I didn't like "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" much as a movie, but I'll be seeing it again to experience the 3D.

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'Save BluRay 3D' is Dead: Welcome to 'Ultimate 3D Fans!'

 

Chances are if you are a regular you probably showed up to this blog and was immediately taken back at how...different, the place looks.  There is a reason for that.  Aside from the fact that the old design was simply not very good (we have a LOT more space now) I've been thinking a lot about the future of this blog.  Probably more than I care to admit.  Even though I've heed and hawed for over a year about the future of it, I've finally decided some massive change was need.

Ladies and gentlemen: Save BluRay 3D is dead.

I'm sure some of you are a tad bit disappointed by this news, but are you really that surprised?  The BluRay 3D market is on life support, and there simply isn't much of a reason to talk about it anymore.  Granted, it's not completely gone (we did just get "Dune" not that long ago), however it certainly isn't active enough to have a fully dedicated blog to.  I also don't want to turn this into 'Save Physical Media' (as has been suggested) because I don't believe physical media will completely go away anytime soon.  Really, the strength of this blog was never as a grassroots effort to keep BluRay 3D around; it was about the love of 3D itself.  So, ladies and gentleman, 'Save BluRay 3D' is dead...

...

...to give birth to 'Ultimate 3D Fans!'

Yes, instead of letting the blog die because a physical media format is on life support I'm actually EXPANDING the blog to include topics on ALL things 3D!  This includes 3D in theaters, 3D in video games, 3D in theme parks...if it's a big enough topic concerning 3D, I want to discuss it here.  What's more, I want this to be a safe haven for 3D fans in all walks of life to enjoy.  Therefor I am also opening the blog up to having contributors!  Sadly, this isn't a site that will pay (3D is a niche format for a reason).  But if you can write, have a love of 3D, and want to contribute, I'd love to hear from you!

In the meantime, there is still some work to be done.  The layout isn't QUITE finished yet (and we need to add a few more tabs at the top to help people find certain topics easier), but things are coming along nicely none-the-less!  Also, we have a new domain name: www.ultimate3dfans.com.  We haven't set it up to redirect yet, but feel free to go there and bookmark it for when the switch happens (for some reason the 4th of July feels like a fitting day to make that happen).  Otherwise, enjoy the new look, dust up your resume if you want to contribute, and I need to get back to working on the layout (as well as the list of 3D movies that is WAAAYYYYY overdue for an update)!

Look forward to seeing everyone in the future!

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We Now Know Why 'Doctor Strange 2' is in IMAX 3D (Hint: It Involves 'Avatar 2,' of course!)

 

A few weeks ago, when I happily reported that "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" would be the first move in more than two years to get some IMAX 3D releases, I secretly wondered if the upcoming 'Avatar 2' had something to do with it.  I didn't publicly speculate, but now that my suspicions have been confirmed I wish I had.  Right now, we're in the middle of Cinema Con.  While I am not attending (and thus can only do secondhand reporting) James Cameron's world of 'Avatar' got a lot of attention.  First of all, the original "Avatar" (you know, the movie everyone hates that got nominated for Best Picture anyway) will be getting a remastered re-release this September.  The reason is because it has been more than a decade since the film was seen in theaters, and Disney (the studio who now owns 'Avatar') wants there to be a refresher before "Avatar: The Way of Water" is released on December 16th.

Yes, 'Avatar 2' has a title AND a release date!  Been a long time coming!  At Cinema Con a teaser trailer was shown to attendees.  3D glasses were handed out, as Cameron is going to be making it clear that 3D is THE way to see this!  According to Deadline:

Avatar 2 takes place in and around the ocean. Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana) have children. “Wherever we go,” says Sully, “this family is our fortress.” The sequel looks even more jaw dropping in its deep-blue visuals than the 2009 film. All new creatures: We see the Na’vi on flying fish bird creatures, communing with a whale, and yet somehow divided despite their affinity with nature: The alien people are split, battling against each other in a guns vs. arrows fight. It’s truly a whole new world upping the stakes of the previous 3x Oscar winning film.

And yes, this teaser WILL premier before "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness!"

This certainly makes sense why IMAX has dedicated several showtimes to 3D showings of the latest Marvel offering.  Not only does this movie seem like it is going to be a dream in 3D, but if 'Avatar' fans really want to see this teaser the way it is supposed to be seen, it's going to be in an IMAX 3D screen!  Of course, 3D has taken a big enough beating that most IMAX's will only have one 3D screening (two at most).  The good news is most screenings are at 4:30pm or some similar times (MUCH better than the 11:15am and 10:30pm showings I had to attend for "Avengers: Endgame" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" if I wanted to experience those in the third dimension).

I also suspect that this is a test to see if there is an appetite for 3D movies again.  I have no doubt that "Avatar: The Way of Water" will only be seen in IMAX 3D when it is released.  Cameron is a powerful man and he will insist that 3D is the way to view this movie.  If the newest Doctor Strange overperforms, it may convince IMAX to dedicate more 3D showings to movies in-between.  Could the success of "Avatar: The Way of Water" inspire a resurgence in 3D?

Well...I have thoughts on that, and I have a LOT to say!  So, keep this blog bookmarked; there is suddenly a LOT we have to talk about!

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There is NO 3D Release of "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore!"

 

Although I promised I wouldn't write too many blog posts like this anymore, I got enough e-mails from people yesterday asking what happened to the IMAX 3D version of "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," and why I failed to mention that as the first IMAX 3D release in more than two years in my blog post yesterday (this morning...?).  Well, I didn't mention it because there is no IMAX 3D version...or any 3D version of this movie!  I can't even find evidence of a 3D release in China.  It seems that for whatever reason, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" will be forgoing a 3D release altogether.  No, I don't know why this is the case, but then, Harry Potter movies have not been very consistent when it comes to being presented in 3D.  For the first four movies Harry Potter was a strictly 2D affair.  "Avatar" hadn't come out yet and 3D was largely limited to IMAX films.

With "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" the films dipped their toe into 3D effects by having the climax be presented in 3D exclusively at IMAX locations.  "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" continued that format by having the opening sequence in IMAX 3D (while normal theaters got the film fully in 2D).  These 3D sequences were praised by fans and critics alike, and once James Cameron made 3D cool again for theaters, Warner Bros. committed to ending the series in 3D.  That said, while "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1" was advertised as being in 3D, the film makers decided that the 3D wasn't of the quality they wanted it to be.  Not wanting to be responsible for another "Clash of Titans," 'Deathly Hallows - Part 1' was released in 2D only (it would eventually get a BluRay 3D releases, where the results were praised as...fine).

Harry Potter finally made the leap to full 3D everywhere with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2," and the movies have been in 3D ever since.  It has become so expected for Harry Potter to be in 3D that a Chinese re-release...

...presented audiences with a brand-new IMAX 3D remaster.  Oh, and to get ahead so that I don't have to write another post on this: No, I am not aware of this version being available to purchase on BluRay 3D (but if I'm wrong please point me in the right direction).  Aside from this, the first two 'Fantastic Beasts' movies were also released in 3D (though they were released at a time when IMAX was starting to phase out 3D showings).  

This means that Harry Potter movies have been released either partly or fully in 3D since 2007!

For reasons I am not clear on, a fifteen YEAR tradition has come to an end!  Why?  I have no idea.  I suppose Warner Bros. must have felt on some level a 3D conversion wasn't worth the money.  If there is a fourth 'Fantastic Beasts' movie it will likely also be 2D only.  I know this is going to be a bit of a disappointment, but what are you going to do at this point?  If you want to see it you'll just have to see it in the 2D format or not at all.  Course, this DOES mean you don't have to choose between IMAX/Dolby Cinema or a standard 3D screen, so that's kind of nice!  But, yeah, it appears there will be no more 3D Harry Potter projects in the near future.  It was fun while it lasted (even if it seems odd to end the tradition now).

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'Doctor Strange 2' is First Movie to Get IMAX 3D Release in Over 2 YEARS!!!

I'm obviously in a good mood today!

Even though I am getting a bit burnt out on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Netflix's "The Power of the Dog" made for a much more captivating cinema experience than "Black Widow" for my money), I have been very open that not only was "Doctor Strange" one of the more creative endeavors of the MCU, but it is also one of the shining examples of just how good 3D can be when used properly!  From my perspective if you haven't seen "Doctor Strange" in 3D...you technically haven't seen it.  While I can't say "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness" is something I'm salivating at the mouth to see (I'm more excited about "The Bad Guys" if I'm being completely honest), there was a moment when I felt that an IMAX 3D experience would raise my excitement level considerably if it was half the experience that the last film was!  In that circumstance - having remembered how great the experience was the first time around - I might be able to muster up some excitement to see the sequel.

If only there was a possibility of that becoming a reality...but alas, we are living in a post-pandemic life, and movies themselves are on life support (never mind 3D movies).  Anyway, I forgot the tickets went on sale a few days ago, so I went to AMC to get my tickets and...

...well, the first thing that stood out was that there were two separate sections for IMAX.  Take a closer look at that sole showtime though and you can see "IMAX with Laser 3D" in small print!  Now, first of all, I do need to express SOME disappointment that AMC isn't making this clear that this is an IMAX 3D showing with a bold logo.  They USED to do this...but having not used the logo in a long time, maybe it got misplaced on their hard drive?!  I don't know, they had a pretty hectic two years in case you didn't know.  Ignoring that though, the key thing here is that IMAX is showing their first movie in 3D in over two years!!!  I mean, I can't even remember the last time I saw an IMAX 3D movie?!  It must have been...

...oh...yeah, THAT movie!  Didn't a John Campea episode inspire a blog post here...never mind, getting off track.  Anyway, the point is it's been a LOONNNGGG time since IMAX has given people the option to see an IMAX 3D film!  There are several reasons for this of course: A deadly pandemic that forced the world to shut down, lack of content, the fact that reusable glasses was likely going to change people's perceptions of 3D movies and thus putting the format in real long term jeopardy...you know, all that jazz!  The fact that "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness" is getting some IMAX 3D screenings at most locations says a few things:

1. The movie has 3D that is good enough that IMAX executives are convinced it's worth seeing.
2. Marvel movies still have the power to charge a few dollars more for this format.
3. IMAX feels that the world is in a good enough place that people will not fear putting on glasses that were previously worn by someone else.

However you want to look at it, this is very, very exciting news for 3D fans and now is your opportunity to buy tickets to see the movie in this format and send IMAX a message that projecting 3D movies is still a worthwhile endeavor!  What's even better is that (at least in my area) many of the showtimes are at reasonable times, so 3D fans mostly will not need to worry about taking time off work see an odd showing at 1:35pm.  If you're buying the tickets through AMC, just look a little closer to make sure you are getting the format you want.  Now if you're buying your tickets from Regal...

...thankfully, they're making the difference much more obvious.  Either way, thank you to the folks at IMAX for doing this and I hope I can write more articles like this in the near future!  Oh, and I am VERY excited to see "Doctor Strange In the Multiverse!"

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Two 3D Films Win Big at the 94th Annual Academy Awards

Two 3D films won big at the 94th Annual Academy Awards that were held last Sunday.  I know, I'm a bit late writing about this but I was busy (like the rest of the world) obsessing about "The Slap" that occurred during the presentation.  This post is not about that incident though, as (like Daniel Radcliffe) I am starting to get bored of the conversation, and thus feel we should start talking about the movies again until the inevitable response from the Academy comes down in regard to said incident.

The first major win for 3D is that "Encanto" easily won Best Animated Feature.  While there was some hope "Flee" would sneak in and take the award, the blatant belittling of the award (which was basically used as an advertisement to promote Disney's terrible live action remakes [because, you know...why watch that old kids stuff when you can watch the "mature" live action remake]) was all the confirmation I needed to know that "Encanto" would be the winner before the envelope was opened.  Still, Best Animated Feature is technically a "major" award still, and a 3D film won it.  You can't watch it in 3D anymore, but it did win.

The big winner of the night in general was "Dune" though.  Not only was it the sole 3D nominee amongst the Best Picture lineup, it managed to win an impressive 6 Academy Awards (including Best Visual Effects).  Not only was that more Oscars than any other film that won that night, it was also a record breaker for a film that won the most Oscars without being nominated for Best Director.  Ironically, Jane Campion did win Best Director for "The Power of the Dog," but though she was the favorite to win that award her film won none of the other 11 Oscars it was nominated for.  

To my recollection, no film has only won Best Director since Mike Nichols pulled off the feat with "The Graduate."  It not only highlights why Dennis Villanueva getting snubbed for Best Director was such a head scratcher, but it makes you wonder if the Academy really thought Jane Campion was the best director of the year, or if they just wanted to check off a diversity quota by being able to say that two women won Best Director two years in a row (which, sadly, is a new record even though there have been plenty of female directors who deserved nominations in the past).

Thankfully, you CAN buy "Dune" on BluRay 3D (and in America no less), so you can enjoy the Oscar-winning cinematography in three dimensions from the comfort of your own home!  And with that another Oscar year has come to an end.  I'll be back sooner or later with a blog post of some sort (maybe discussing if the 3D version of 'The Secrets of Dumbledore' is worth going out of your way to see?).

Oh, also, if you want to know who the winner for Best 3D was for our yearly hypothetical Oscars show...

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Nine 3D Films Nominated at 94th Annual Academy Awards (Kind of...)

As the nominations for the 94th Annual Academy Awards were announced, nine 3D films scored nominations...with an asterisk.  Like the previous few years, they mostly involved visual effects heavy movies and with "Dune" being the sole Best Picture nominee.  A few were for Best Animated Feature though.  The nominated films include:

• Dune
• Encanto
• Free Guy
• Luca
• The Mitchells vs. The Machines
• No Time to Die
• Raya and the Last Dragon
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• Spider-Man: No Way Home

As mentioned before though, these nominees all come with a huge asterisk in that several of these movies didn't receive theatrical releases this year, and thus their 3D versions were never seen.  If the 3D versions of "Luca" and "The Mitchells vs. The Machine" weren't released in theaters do they count for this post?  For arguments sake, I'm going to say yes.  It's nice to have a 3D film (one that you can actually buy in the states) be in the Best Picture race again (though it seems unlikely to win without a Best Director nomination). 

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3D Release of Pixar's "Turning Red" Cancelled (Along with Theatrical Release in General)

Last week, Disney made the stunning announcement that Pixar's next film "Turning Red" would be skipping theaters for a Disney+ premier.  Pixar fans are not happy about this move.  As for me...

...well, I had some strong words regarding the choice.  This inevitably led some of viewers to ask what was to become of the 3D release?  After all, Pixar was so proud of the 3D conversion a 3D trailer (which is quite rare these days) was in front of almost every 3D movie for the past few months.  So what happens to it?  Does that one one:

A. Still get released in theaters?
B. Get a BluRay 3D release later?
C. Go to the Disney Vault?

The answer is - more likely than not - C!  I do not anticipate that we will see the 3D version of "Turning Red" anytime soon.  Pixar's previous films "Soul" and "Luca" did not receive BluRay 3D releases, and I don't anticipate this one will either.  Situations like this emphasize why it is important to bring awareness to the lack of 3D options on streaming and physical media, because when things like this happen 3D movies are in danger of being lost forever, and if you are a fan of film (or especially a Disney/Pixar fan) this is far from an ideal situation.

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"Hotel Transylvania 3" Coming to BluRay 3D Four Years After Initial Release!

Happy New Year everyone!

Have I got a SHOCKING news story for you!  I made it clear a couple posts ago that I would (more or less) stop reporting when movies were not coming to BluRay 3D.  It's not really news anymore, it results in redundant posts, and I decided it would just be better for everyone despite the fact that it meant this blog would potentially not be updated but a few times a year (BTW: Thank you to EVERYONE who continues to visit despite the sparse update schedule).  I did NOT expect to be writing this post today, but "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" WILL be getting a BluRay 3D release in Australia and pre-orders are now open at Random Space Media:

The BluRay will include both 2D and 3D discs and will be REGION FREE!!!  Basically, that means anyone can import this thing and it is going to work on your player.  Now, just by the mere fact of this being released would be enough for me to report on its release.  What is truly strange is that this is a movie that came out almost FOUR YEARS AGO!!!  That's right, "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" was release in the summer of 2018.  So, technically, this 3D release is coming out three and a half years after the film was released.  It's so strange to think of what inspired this third-party company to release a BluRay 3D of a movie that never got a home 3D release almost four years after the fact?!  Well...maybe the upcoming Amazon Prime release of "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania" in a couple weeks might have had something to do with it?!

Either way, this is more than welcome news!  Now, to be fair, I don't like "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation" very much as a movie (you can read my two-star review here).  Despite this fact, when I discovered this release I immediately pre-ordered a copy.  I did this for two reasons.  The first is that the 3D version was almost lost due to the lack of a previous proper release, so I want to make sure I have it just in case this is the only release we get.  I'm also pre-ordering it because I want to make it clear that just because a movie is old, I WILL purchase a 3D release of a movie years after the fact if a previous release was not made available!  I also sent the company an e-mail thanking them for releasing this (while arrogantly also listing off OTHER movies I would buy in the format if they wanted to make them available)!  If you're a fan of the movie and was disappointed that the 3D version wasn't released on physical media anywhere in the world, now's your chance to add it to your collect.

Pre-order here in case you missed it the first time.

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