Ddd Group Share Discussion Threads

[poombear] 15/8/2013 10:41

Zippy this just confirms the statement made by Cineworld today. 3D films do not fit across the board of genre's, but targeted to blockbuster movies, they have large part to play. Today's figures from Cineworld contradict your article above, and really outline that this is still a developing market. It's not all black and white.

With regards to Barry Norman, used to watch him back in the day, and he always preferred a Woody Allen to a Spielberg. And hated Avatar, says it all.

[zipless] 15/8/2013 10:09

All the surveys indicate a lack of interest in 3D p, partly due to ticket costs.

3D films losing their appeal as UK ticket sales slump by a third

Hollywood may have embraced the 3D revolution, but film fans seem less enamoured.

Ticket sales for the format in the UK have slumped by a third in two years, figures reveal.

According to veteran film critic Barry Norman the technology is 'overblown' and adds nothing to the cinema-going experience, despite leading chains charging audiences up to 30 per cent more to watch new releases in 3D.

Sales of 3D tickets are down from a high of 27.5 per cent of the total box office in 2010 to 18 per cent last year. In 2010 3D films grossed £305.3million in UK cinemas.

By 2012 this had dropped to £213.7million even though the total box office increased, according to industry analysts Rentrak EDI.

Mr Norman said film fans have grown tired of 3D's 'novelty'.

The availability of films may also have hit ticket sales, with 2012 box office hits Skyfall and The Dark Knight Rises both unavailable in 3D.

Mr Norman said: 'These statistics are no surprise at all to me. I've always thought 3D has been overblown.

'Once you get over the initial shock of something reaching out of the screen towards you, it adds nothing at all to a film. You soon forget it is there at all.

'For example, Avatar was a terrible film with brilliant special effects. But those effects were almost as good in 2D as 3D. And the slight extra impact is not worth the extra price of a 3D cinema ticket and the price of 3D glasses.

'People said 3D would change cinema. But if it stops paying its way at the box office, it is just a waste of money. I'm sure people will keep on making 3D films. These things come and go. But you can't make up for bad directing with good technology.'

It had been expected the 3D trend would soar after the success of James Cameron' s epic Avatar in 2010, which made £615 million worldwide, with 90 per cent of the audience watching in 3D, along with franchises such as Toy Story, Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers also proving popular in the format.

But increasingly British cinema-goers are opting for traditional 2D screenings because they don't feel that 3D represents value for money.

Major cinema groups bill customers of 3D films up to 30 per cent more than those seeing standard films and often charge an additional £1 for the use of the specialist glasses.

At the Vue Cinema in London's Westfield shopping centre, the price of an Iron Man 3 ticket in 3D is around £14.20, compared to £11 for standard tickets, while the Odeon Kensington charges £14.45 and £12.45.

This means a family of four will pay between £8-13 more to watch one film in 3D.

But the choice of films available in the cinema may also have had an impact on ticket sales in the format.

The two most popular productions of 2012 were Skyfall, which grossed over £100 million and The Dark Knight Rises, which made £56.3 million. Neither of these were available in 3D.

James Bond producer Barbara Brocolli told film website Screen Rant that 'horror and science fiction' films worked better in 3D, while Batman director Christopher Nolan famously dislikes the format.

In an interview last week, he said: '3D has come and gone many times over the years. I don't particularly enjoy watching films in 3D because I think that a well-shot and well projected film has a very three dimensional quality to it so I'm somewhat sceptical of the technology.

'Until we get rid of the glasses or until we really massively improve the process, I'm a little weary of it.'

But the fact they were only available in the traditional format may have had an impact on figures as traditionally action films perform well in 3D at the box office.

The two most popular 3D films of 2012 performed very well - both grossing over £50 million - and underlining the idea that audiences are increasingly 'cherry-picking' which films are worth watching in 3D.

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit was the most popular, followed by Marvel's Avengers Assemble.

A BFI insider said: 'Audiences are becoming more discerning about when they watch in 3D. Increasingly they are cherry-picking. If the format enhances the experience - only then will they pay premium prices.'

Despite scepticism from some consumers, many leading directors including Jackson, Martin Scorcese, Ang Lee, and Stephen Spielberg have all created 3D films in recent years.

But practical issues also remain as many film fans loathe using the special glasses while others have reported feeling unwell when watching the screen in this format.

Around 10 per cent of the UK population has poor binocular vision, which means it is difficult for them to see 3D effects in movies and video games.

Instead, they see a blurry image, and will suffer headaches, eye strain and even nausea as a result.

Experts do not recommend allowing children under eight to regularly use 3D glasses because their eye muscles are still developing.

[poombear] 15/8/2013 06:51

And just to add before you start on about the reduction of releases, these are new movies released to the cinema in the first 6 months of the year, its not far off 1 per week, so I would say that's about right, and where it will probably stay, the catalogue of new 3D movies is continually growing, now into 200 or more since the release of Avatar, and will continue to grow.

[poombear] 15/8/2013 06:41

Zippy an extract from Cineworlds 1st half results today. To suggest there isn't an audience for 3D is plain wrong. Hollywood and cinema companies, are more then ever reliant on 3D for their profits.

Its premium movies that people want to see in 3D, and they are paying a premium to see them. People also like to watch them at home!!!



"The performance of 3D reflects the films released during the first half of the year. There were 24 3D film releases during the period, compared with 28 last year, representing approximately 30.5% of Cineworld's box office for the first half, compared to 18.5% in 2012. Film studios are becoming increasingly adept in discerning the genre and target audience of 3D films and the quality of 3D film product remains critical. There are expected to be around 15 3D film releases in the second half compared with 18 3D films in the same period last year."

[zipless] 14/8/2013 14:23

What a stupid article. ESPN, BBC and US broadcasters have not stopped broadcasting because of 3D with glasses. They stopped due to lack of interest in 3D, full stop.

The market is only interested in 4k TV and NOT 3D.

[poombear] 09/8/2013 11:11

Zipless do you have a link regarding a Samsung 3D phone?

[zipless] 09/8/2013 10:51

Samsung said previously that their 3D phone would not be sold in UK and was only for Korea.

[poombear] 09/8/2013 10:43

Dvda, thanks, shows that not much has happened to date in the 3d mobile space. Its this area that I believe is the growth target for ddd. Fingers crossed we will start to see something this year.

[dvda] 09/8/2013 10:18

They've produced 3D phones in the past, but I'm not aware of anything current.

[poombear] 09/8/2013 07:55

Has anyone ever played this 30 second advert, "users in Japan and Korea are already using 3d mobile on Samsung and LG andriod devices" 3D mobile coming to you soon.

hxxp://www.ddd.com/tridef-products/tridef-mobile/


And its talking specifically about Tridef 3D mobile. So what Samsung phones use Tridef?????

[zipless] 08/8/2013 10:06

No, it is not cheap because the screen is a lot more expensive. The electronics are cheap but the screen affects the TV price. At some point the numbers being made will fall.

[janatha] 08/8/2013 07:59

DG

Good spot.

[zero the hero] 08/8/2013 06:44

Zipless, you are wrong. Inclusion of 3D technology into TV's is relatively cheap and since the technology is mainstream no manufacturer will make any other that budget TV's without it. 2D to 3D is doing well as a nice-to-have addition.

You need to research without blinkers, and just for info, I am not a holder, just watching this share.

[zipless] 08/8/2013 01:16

Having a few 3D movies is not sufficient to keep making 3D TVs. Unless there is 3D broadcasting then the TV makers will stop making 3D TVs.

[deltagirl] 07/8/2013 21:19

Interesting article on the value that 3D is still bringing to Hollywood movies

hxxp://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2013/08/06/pacific-rim-the-lone-ranger-and-the-necessary-evil-of-3d/

Seems to suggest that there is a practical financial motive to either create the film in 3D from the outset or convert it to pseudo 3D (which seems to be what happened to GI Joe last year according to the article).

If there are still financially viable reasons for Hollywood to make 3D movies, and 3D is now a tick box feature on an increasing number of TVs, it seems unlikely that they will stop making the movies or the TVs.

DG

[zipless] 07/8/2013 16:51

Not in the long term. DDD are dependent on there being any point in having a 3D TV. If there is no genuine 3D content then there is no point in buying a 3D TV. People are not going to buy a 3D TV just to watch pretend pseudo 3D via DDD. It is not even close to the real thing. Long term the lack of real 3D content will mean falling sales of 3D TVs until they stop making them.
.

[smartypants] 07/8/2013 15:23

Zipless
"3D broadcasting is stopping world wide?"...????????
I think you have kind of missed the point of DDD....totaly

[zipless] 07/8/2013 10:24

The usual nonsense. DDD is clearly going nowhere. Clearly no signs of the 3D Why would it when 3D broadcasting is stopping world wide?

[bonio10000] 07/8/2013 07:41

Well - we know the 3D TV market is still growing, plus there are PC units which are higher margin.

[poombear] 07/8/2013 07:32

Report on the mobile 3d market.... don't suppose anyone is going to splash out on this????






hxxp://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/mobile-3d-market-estimated-54769-million-units-by-2018-296458.htm

[bonio10000] 07/8/2013 07:16

Another pointless Yabazam RNS.

Tell us how many are paying.

Still - interims are due this month, so that will show it.

[philo124] 07/8/2013 06:10

RNS. I think the new young generation, that is 11-18 year olds will expect 3D as standard in due course.