‘Tron: Legacy’ to Be the Next ‘Avatar’ for 3D

As interest in 3D movies seems to fade, because moviegoers are beginning to realize movie studios would turn anything into 3D just to charge more for a ticket, the next landmark in 3D cinematography could be “Tron: Legacy.”

The film, one of the most anticipated releases of this year (even in a context in which it comes out in December), will probably do for 3D, as tired a game as it is now, what James Cameron’s “Avatar” also did a year ago.

According to a report on IndieWire, 3D is going down because audiences are losing interest in it: on one hand, it’s no longer exotic; on the other, moviegoers were seriously burned by 3D movies that were flops.

In such a context, “Tron: Legacy” has a serious task to accomplish, namely that of proving to audiences and critics that 3D is not just a means to overcharge for a ticket, but simply a method of immersing them into another world.

“While high-quality early efforts such as Avatar ($3 billion worldwide) and Alice in Wonderland ($116 million opening weekend) pulled in huge percentages of 3D patrons, audiences swiftly got pickier about what they were going to pay for after getting burned on such B-efforts as Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender,” IndieWire says.

Grossing for 3D productions has seen a steep fall between December 2009 and August 2010 – but “Tron” will most likely make things right again for both patrons and moviegoers.

“The numbers indicate two trends: early on there were fewer theaters and 3-D screenings were less frequent and more exotic. Later on moviegoers got used to 3-D, there were more bad films and more 3-D screens,” the report notes.

And all this happened in a little over a year, which could mean 3D is breathing its last in terms of appeal to moviegoers.

“The more digital a movie is, the better and more immersive is the 3D: Pixar’s Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon look great,” IndieWire notes.

“Tron” will probably cap them all off, thus becoming the next “Avatar,” if you will.

“While the bloom is off the 3D rose, there’s evidence that given good reason to spend their cash, moviegoers will turn up when they perceive a real 3D enhancement, especially the lure of entering a new digital universe like Pandora or Tron: Legacy’s glowing blue game grid,” IndieWire says.

“The next 3-D breakout could be Disney’s FX-crammed Tron: Legacy, which like Avatar, takes viewers into a new world,” the e-zine concludes.

Below is a sneak peek at “Tron: Legacy,” which will be out in theaters starting December 17. See for yourself whether it’s as promising as noted above.