3-D will probably be pushed again for Avatar sequel(s) - how many will be onboard?

[Carsten Kurz]

Another issue we see at least in Germany is that, if you have a 3D screen, you need to devote it fully to 3D screenings of a new release. No 2D shows on your premium screen. You need to show 2D on your other screens (if you have them).


That said - AVATAR 2 will certainly be different, same as the first one. There will be a big buzz about it's 3D and HFR when it is released. But for most of the other mainstream 3D stuff, people are reluctant to buy tickets. Also, keep in mind that with the first AVATAR, there were still very many screens showing 35mm, the digital rollout had just began with the first AVATAR. So, in 2009/2010, many AVATAR shows were 2D, and on film.

[Steve Guttag]

3D and other gimmicks and their acceptance varies greatly by region. Studios, if they find that there are markets that embrace 3D, 4DX, Screen-X...pick your gimmick, are going to make those versions, if the market is there.

I've seen exhibitors have selective failures (or repairs, more likely) to their 3D systems so they could run/not run 3D. By and large, almost none run 3D anymore, for any title.

And yeah, the 3D movies of the 80s were not ones to use as an example of the world embracing the format. They were mostly pretty low-grade flicks. Coming At Ya. Friday the 13th Part 3 (had the coolest opening title sequence), Jaws 3D, Parasite, Space Hunter. Any festivals that have done the Friday the 13th or Jaws stuff, have used the 2D versions of the prints and DCPs are 2D. I don't know if they've done 3D versions of them (I would hope so since they were shot in 3D). Back in the day, I remember thinking that Raiders of the Lost Ark could have been a cool 3D movie.

[Jesse Skeen]

Friday the 13th Part 3 has been shown in 35mm at many festivals. It's one of the most pointless movies to watch in 2D as there are so many gimmick shots, stuff having nothing to do with the kills even (like a yo-yo into the camera). I bought the Scream Factory box set JUST to get the third movie in 3D on Blu-Ray.

Comin' At Ya is even more pointless to watch in 2D as the 3D effects are the main point of it with the story secondary. Note that the TV spots mention that the 3D glasses were FREE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAIkeQs8gFI

Spacehunter (a cheesy sci-fi movie) came out around the same time as Return of the Jedi, a much better sci-fi movie- but I went to see Spacehunter first because it was in 3D and Jedi wasn't. The unwritten rule then was you could either have a bad movie in 3D, or a good movie in 2D. That's why I was elated later when they finally started doing "real" movies in 3D- when The Force Awakens came out and the opening scroll appeared in 3D, I had a huge grin on my face. The Star Wars movies were post-conversions of course, but they still looked good.

With all the things there are about theaters to complain about, if there are "complaints" about 3D and the theaters are actually taking action on them, then that is just beyond depressing. Like I said, if you don't like 3D, go see a different movie.

I remember when running "The Blair Witch Project" which drew big crowds, some people were throwing up, one even left a big stain on the carpet. It wasn't because of the movie's content, but because of the shaky camerawork as it was done to mimic a home video. I never thought for a second that could bother anyone that much. They ended up posting signs in the box office saying that some people got motion sickness from it, so those who were sensitive to that would at least know beforehand- probably the same people who can't see 3D properly. But they didn't ask for a new version of the movie with all the shaky-cam shots removed, they just said "This is how the movie was made, take it or leave it."

[Frank Cox]

I don't remember anyone actually vomiting during Blair Witch, but I did have some people come out into the lobby during the show looking pretty green.

I did have a couple of people vomit during one of the Jackass movies, though...

[Mike Blakesley]

Note that the TV spots mention that the 3D glasses were FREE:

I ran a few 3-D movies in the 70s and was actually in the movie business when Comin' At Ya was released. Here are two possible reasons there was no extra charge for 3-D back then:

1. Because you didn't need any special equipment to play the movie in 3-D, it was just plain 35mm prints (and it looked like crap)
2. Because the theaters did not have to pay for the glasses, they arrived free from the studio. (And they were cheap cheesy carboard glasses.)

I suppose there were better 3-D systems around then, but I never dealt with any of them. I'd expect the majority of 3-D showings were done just like we did them here.

[Frank Cox]

I remember a huge bag of cardboard glasses that came along with some movies. Spy Kids was one, I think.

The idea was to use what you need and send the bag along with the film to the next guy.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I ran a few 3-D movies in the 70s and was actually in the movie business when Comin' At Ya was released. Here are two possible reasons there was no extra charge for 3-D back then:

1. Because you didn't need any special equipment to play the movie in 3-D, it was just plain 35mm prints (and it looked like crap)
2. Because the theaters did not have to pay for the glasses, they arrived free from the studio. (And they were cheap cheesy carboard glasses.)

I suppose there were better 3-D systems around then, but I never dealt with any of them. I'd expect the majority of 3-D showings were done just like we did them here.

Mike, I thought those prints were over/under. Are you sure there wasn't a special Stereovision mirror type adapter that mounted to the front.of your projector?

[Randy Stankey]

... I remember when running "The Blair Witch Project" which drew big crowds, some people were throwing up, one even left a big stain on the carpet. ...

When I ran movies on the 70mm giant screen at the Tom Ridge Center, we would occasionally have people get woozy.
It didn't happen very often but often enough that you had to know about it.

The standard line was, if somebody feels dizzy or upset during the movie, have them shut their eyes or look away from the screen.

If that didn't work and the movie was less than half over, I'd comp their ticket and let them sit in the lobby until the rest of the movie was over.

No, I didn't like the shaky camera in "Blair Witch" either. There's no reason for shaky camera work.
There are plenty of other ways to get the "POV" angle in a movie. A SteadyCam rig isn't that expensive to rent for the benefit you get and, if you can't afford one, you can make your own basic rig for less than $100 at the hardware store.

Rule #1 of making movies: Don't make your audience puke.

[Steve Guttag]

Comin' At Ya was indeed an over/under 3D. It used the "Marks" 3D lens attachment. The 3D glasses (when stored en masse) smelled like banana bread and yes, the studio (Filmways) provided them...and for the other systems. 3D lenses were either provided or rented in the 80s. Stereovision was one of prominent ones and by the time of Jaws 3D, they had their lens system for over/under much more universal (one lens combined with one's prime lens and a knob on top to converge). Stereo vision also made side-by-side attachments MUCH later...before that they had to supply the right EF lens.

In any event, the theatre did have to spend money on the silver screen and the technician time to set up for 3D and, often, a larger lamp. But, those were short runs and it was definitely gimmick time...until the lure wore off and 3D slinked back under a rock again.

Since Star Wars (and version) wasn't shot in 3D, by your definition Jesse, when you saw it in 3D you saw it in the WRONG format as it should have only been released in 2D as that was how it was shot.

[Martin McCaffery]

Rule #1 of making movies: Don't make your audience puke.

Clearly, you've never met John Waters

[Mike Blakesley]

Mark - we didn't run Comin' At Ya, but we played a handful of other 3-D movies, usually kid stuff. I don't remember any adaptors or anything, they were just regular prints that had "3-D" images on them. They truly looked like crap.

One "high profile" release was Jaws 3-D but we never played that one, thankfully... so I'm not sure what they used for a format on it.

[Carsten Kurz]

Probably just Anaglyph 3D with red/blue cardboard glasses. You just need the glasses to show them, but it sure looks crap.

[Marcel Birgelen]

I was under the impression that every major cinematic 3D release from the 1950s upward, right until the release of the first digital formats*, was released in "polarized 3D" and only a few movies before that were released as anaglyph 3D. I remember watching "3D images" in some magazines with those red and blue glasses, but I can't imagine watching an entire feature presentation this way...

* Before 3D DCI, there obviously has been IMAX 3D, which had a version using shutter glasses, also I remember some 70mm presentations in 3D using shutter glasses instead of polarized glasses back in the late 90s. Also, in the late 90s, with the advent of the first 3D acceleration hardware for games and professional 3D graphics, I remember the first shutter glasses for high-end CRT screens becoming a thing.

[Steve Guttag]

IMAX, for their 15/70 stuff, at least in many venues, used polarized using vertical/horizontal polarization. Most of the 35mm world used diagonal. DCinema is using circular for the polarized stuff.

As for anaglyph 3D...it did show up from time to time. I distinctly remember "Spy Kids" being released with anaglyph 3D. I remember 1 or 2 times where TV presentations, where I grew up, tried to do 3D presentations where designated local stores had the promotional glasses...those were anaglyph too. I want to say that one of the movies was The Creature from the Black Lagoon (a 3D B&W movie so it would be ideal for doing such a broadcast).

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

IMAX, for their 15/70 stuff, at least in many venues, used polarized using vertical/horizontal polarization. Most of the 35mm world used diagonal. DCinema is using circular for the polarized stuff.

As for anaglyph 3D...it did show up from time to time. I distinctly remember "Spy Kids" being released with anaglyph 3D. I remember 1 or 2 times where TV presentations, where I grew up, tried to do 3D presentations where designated local stores had the promotional glasses...those were anaglyph too. I want to say that one of the movies was The Creature from the Black Lagoon (a 3D B&W movie so it would be ideal for doing such a broadcast).

15/70 films actually used both linear and circular polarization. So when we re-equipped the theater in Zion N.P. for digital, we had to include both types of filters and they had to be instantly convertible. It was totally possible to book multiple films where you need to switch filters, and of course... they did..