Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 'Kung Fu Panda 2' Kicks Up Anti-3D Sentiment On Wall Street

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Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 05-31-2011, 06:11 PM:

'Kung Fu Panda 2' Kicks Up Anti-3D Sentiment On Wall Street

Source: deadline.com

quote:
Investors are jumping on the anti-3D bandwagon as the weekend's lackluster sales of 3D tickets for DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda 2 seemed to confirm that audiences are fed up with the higher prices exhibitors are charging for the immersive visual experience. Shares of 3D technology company RealD were down 12% in mid-day trading to $27 -- amounting to a 23% decline over the last two weeks. Even with the drop, RealD shares are up nearly 40% from this time last year. Investors appear to be more disenchanted with DreamWorks Animation, which is making all of its films in 3D. Its shares were off 3.3% at midday to about $24 -- which is down nearly 20% vs this time last year. 3D tickets accounted for about 45% of Panda's domestic box office revenues. By contrast, last year DreamWorks Animation's Shrek Forever After generated 60% of its opening-weekend revenues from 3D, even though it was on 343 fewer 3D screens, Lazard Capital Markets analyst Barton Crockett notes. Wall Street's most vocal critic of 3D -- BTIG's Richard Greenfield -- reiterated his "sell" recomendation for DreamWorks Animation and lowered his 2011 earnings estimate for the company to $1.54 a share, from $1.81. The company's movies "have not lived up to expectations and the global DVD market is in a free fall as consumers continue to shift from buying to renting," he wrote in a report.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-01-2011, 03:46 AM:

It is so insanely easy to make a computer-animated cartoon in 3D. It doesn't require much extra effort from humans. It might take a couple of more hours to render but nothing tremendously noteworthy. Long gone are the days when a movie like Toy Story would take 9 months to render a single frame. My point is that it is easy for CGI cartoon makers to turn off the 3D simply by not rendering it if the mandate comes, but those who are shooting real movies in 3D with real-life 3D cameras may not be so eager to drop the other eye.

Bottom line: 3D cartoons should drop to 2D and shot-in-3D real-life movies should be released in 3D. I think people would put up with and support 3D if there weren't so much of it. But nooooo, Hollywood wanted to make EVERY movie in 3D.

If 3F goes away again, people are going to be really leery in giving it yet another chance down the line. 3D is like a meme that has long since become unfunny and is now stale.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-01-2011, 01:39 PM:

I think there will be an "adjustment" in the next couple of years. The theatre chains will refuse to book so many 3D prints, and the balance of 3D-to-2D grosses will get to where it's the same for most movies.

I wonder what chain will be the trendsetter to drop the 3D surcharge and "trumpet" that all over the place? If that happens, the surcharge will be a thing of the past -- but the theatres might want to negotiate a couple points lower film rental to help defray the 3D costs.

I think even without the surcharge, the ratio of 3D to 2D will eventually be about the same.

Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 06-01-2011, 05:09 PM:

I've started asking customers which format they would prefer if it was the same price, I'd say about 75% say 3D

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-02-2011, 11:14 AM:

The disadvantage of being 62.9 years old is that "we have done this all before" countless times, all with the same result.

Now. What WAS the definition of insanity? Louis

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 07-06-2011, 08:09 PM:

Isn't the answer, that executives are never staying as long as projectionists in their jobs ?
Those smart, young studio officers of today believe, they've invented 3D.
If they stay a bit longer than their predecessors, they may find out, they are wrong. -They may even stay long enough to be the ones to shut down the 3D era of this decade, as three generations of executives has done it before them.
Just You wait, Henry Higgins....