14 DAY TRIAL // Not more than two years ago, the Cannes film festival saluted the emergence of 3D films and their introduction on retail DVDs, such as those of U2's live concert. At that time, producers around Hollywood, as well as indies (independents), said that a new era of film making was coming, and that 3D would become the new standard for the movie industry.
Now, two years later, the hurdles that faced producers in 2007 still persist, with one of the main reasons for why this type of films is not yet in all theaters being the relative lack thereof, as well as the high costs associated with directing and creating such a work. Independents, on which most hopes lied, also face financial difficulties in these troubled times, and cannot be relied on to lead the way ahead of the “big dogs” in Hollywood.
Major studios still prefer relying on cheesy and intuitive films, as evidenced by the fact that seldom does a movie stand out from the crowd that is not a sequel, prequel, or in other way the continuation of an already famous franchise. In addition, some of the best productions of the last few years, including the popular “Slumdog Millionaire,” have belonged to indie producers.
There is a growing feeling among them that they should make more 3D movies, but getting past the economical difficulties is nearly impossible, Reuters reports. On the other hand, the large studios prefer not investing large amounts of money in this type of productions, which could only yield limited profits.
One of the things that producers of all kinds could “exploit” to their benefit is the fact that fans tend to come in larger numbers at 3D movies, and also that they are willing to pay $2 to $5 dollars more on tickets than they do for standard films. In addition, certain genres, such as action, comedy and animation, enjoy a relatively great success in their 3D versions. For example, DreamWorks Animation Inc. won with its $175 million "Monsters vs. Aliens” about $334 millions over the last year, while LionsGate had a profit of about $71 million, mostly from “My Bloody Valentine 3D.”
The main hurdles in creating many 3D movies are the lack of special theaters, able to play them, as well as the fact that the managements at these establishments have still not determined if it's economically feasible to purchase large numbers of 3D glasses, which are an absolute requirement for viewing these productions. In addition, the costs involved in creating such works are, at times, astounding, as they require large amounts of post-production tinkering to make them enjoyable to the general public.