3d Movies: A Fad or Here to Stay?

I had the unfortunate privilege of watching Alice in Wonderland last weekend (sorry, not much of a fan of these types of films). Aside from Johnny Depp’s creepy performance as the mad hatter, what struck me most about the film was that it was the second movie in a row that I was viewing in stunning 3d (with the last one being Avatar). I will admit, the experience was very cool. Gone are the days of the uncomfortable paper glasses and cheesy effects and welcome to the age of stunning visuals and relatively comfortable plastic glasses. Is this a fad, or a new standard of film and TV production?

Many think 3d is here to stay and will invigorate the movie industry. In a recent Fox News article, Steve Polsky at Flixster says, “This has really reinvigorated the idea of going to movies as an event. People don’t just say, ‘I saw “Avatar,”‘ they say, ‘I saw “Avatar” in IMAX 3-D! There is definitely an uplift in excitement about 3-D.” In an age where home theaters offer incredible HD experience with digital surround sound, consumers need a compelling reason to head to the movies to experience something not found at home. Movie producers are seeing the opportunity with 3d films to juice ticket sales, and this is evidenced with James Cameron’s $2.6 billion movie masterpiece with Avatar (though it fell short of best film Oscar to Hurt Locker) and Alice in Wonderland raking in over $200 million in its opening weekend.

So, will 3d movies be here to stay? My gut tells me “yes,” especially as television displays are already starting to come out with 3d capability this year, only fueling movie producers to continue bringing 3d content to the masses. On the docket, we already have Clash of the Titans, Shrek and Toy Story 3 ready for 3d releases. Additionally, just spending the last couple days at the Game Developer Conference, console gaming is looking to take advantage of the 3d craze as a slew of new technology and titles are coming out capitalizing on the opportunity as they are seeing market share slip to online and social gaming (sectors that have taken significant venture capital financing by top venture capital funds lead by some very strong management teams focused on innovative product and development).

As technology evolves and buyer tastes shift, it all comes down to innovation in order to stay alive (the movie industry and console gaming sectors are not immune). Excited to see whats ahead as we peak through the looking glass.

-KKF