A decade ago, I went to a 3D film festival to watch the 1953 movie House of Wax. I knew the cheesy special effects, like a paddle ball shooting at my face, would be silly and fun.
I wasn’t expecting good acting. I was expecting to get a headache. I was given a pair of red and green paper glasses that drain the picture’s color.
Fast-forward to today’s 3D theatrical experience. Thanks to improved technology and a desire by studios to draw consumers into theaters in a world of myriad entertainment options, there’s been a renaissance in 3D film and television. Hollywood studios are putting 3D content into more films, and TV makers are equipping sets to bring the technology into living rooms.
Beyond the trivial question of whether consumers will wear the glasses, the more important question for this new market is whether consumers will want to experience 3D outside of movie theaters, in their homes. There’s a good chance it will happen. But millennial-generation consumers are more likely than older ones to embrace the new wave of 3D television.
Avatar’s Influence
James Cameron’s blockbuster film Avatar demonstrated how 3D movies could attract a mass audience. Walt Disney (DIS) and DreamWorks Animation SKG (DWA) plan to make all their future animated titles available in 3D. Filmmakers are also incorporating the technology into broadcasts of sporting events and concerts.
A number of the technical issues that induced headaches have been eliminated, partly due to the switch to digital filmmaking. There are currently four different 3D projection technologies in movie theaters, each with its own type of glasses. In all four systems, the old red and green cardboard glasses have been replaced by tinted shades that are easier on the eyes.
Yet it’s striking how divergently consumers of different generations perceive 3D entertainment….