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Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Does 3D draw you in to the movie theater?
Monsters vs. Aliens comes out this Friday, and what with all the hoopla surrounding the 3D effects, from the 3D Superbowl ad on down, I’ve been wondering: Is 3D really the next big thing in movies, as some Hollywood execs would have you believe?
Jeffrey Katzenberg, the chief of DreamWorks Animation, which made Monsters vs. Aliens, has been particularly loud in beating the 3D drum - so much so that all future DreamWorks movies will be released in that format. Disney/Pixar has done the same, in that all their titles, except this year’s hand-drawn The Princess and the Frog, will be released in 3D. Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will also be reissued in 3D, ramping up to the release of Toy Story 3 in 2010. James Cameron’s 3D film Avatar, his first feature since Titanic, promises to dazzle later this year as well.
For the most part, I think 3D is a lot of fun, and if a movie is available in that format, I’ll go out of my way if need be to see it. Here’s an earlier post I wrote about the 3D movies I’ve seen, and here’s one that covers the 3D movies in the Disney theme parks.
To my 3D list I have to add Henry Selick’s wonderful film Coraline. I heard people say the 3D was disappointing, but I disagree. The 3D was subtle but immersive, much like the way Hitchcock used it in Dial M for Murder. And in fact, I thought its 3D was much more effective there than in the flashier Monsters vs. Aliens, which I will review Friday.
The problem is, the 3D systems are so expensive to install and operate, that theaters have been slower to add them than Hollywood would like. So that’s why for now, these movies also go out in regular “flat” versions. (The expense also explains why 3D movies carry a higher ticket price.)
So I ask: Is 3D enough to draw you to the movie theater more often, like Hollywood hopes? If a movie is available both ways, do you see it flat or in 3D? Is the experience memorable enough to justify the more expensive tickets?
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