Here Comes 3-D Again!!

Here Comes 3-D Again

Faced with increased competition from emerging world markets, international piracy concerns and the ever-escalating cost of making motion pictures, Hollywood is attempting to fight back by reimagining the 3-D movie for a 21st century audience. Several movie studios are now embracing a new digital technology that produces 3-D images in full color, giving audiences a richer experience while watching the movies. “Titanic” director James Cameron and 20th Century Fox are making the science fiction movie “Avatar“, slated for release in 2009, using this method. “Journey 3-D” is another similar film in development at New Line Cinema, and Dreamworks Animation has just announced that all of its movies will be released in both 3-D and traditional 2-D beginning in 2009 with the release of “Monsters vs. Aliens”.

If waiting two years is too long for you, Walt Disney Pictures is releasing “Meet the Robinsons” this month to 500 theaters equipped with the digital 3-D technology, and later this year a new version of the epic Norse poem “Beowulf” will be out that incorporates the technology. Hollywood is hoping that by offering a new sensory experience that can’t be reproduced in a home environment that audiences will flock to see their favorite stars and the latest special effects appear right in front of their eyes. But like everything else that is new, expect to pay a little more to see a 3-D movie. Theater owners are adding an extra dollar or two on top of the regular ticket price to offset the costs of upgrading their equipment to the 3-D realm.