EXHIBITION ■ THE 3D MARKET ■ 3D EXHIBITION SYSTEMS


3D cinemas: the long view C


all it the Avatar effect. The European film industry, like its US equivalent, received a huge boost from


3D last year, with James Cameron’s fi lm at the vanguard, and the box-offi ce fi g- ures have been startling. Toy Story 3 alone made $113.2m (£70m) in the UK, where 3D accounted for around 16% of the overall box offi ce in 2009 (a fi gure expected to rise to 30% in 2010). Indus- try analysts have calculated that 3D is adding, on average, 20% to a fi lm’s the- atrical revenues. Thanks to 3D, thousands of screens


across Europe are now fully digitised. “For the fi rst time, we’re beginning to


see the shift away from North America. There are now more digital screens in the international market than in North America,” Charlotte Jones, senior ana- lyst, cinema, at Screen Digest, noted at the recent 3D-360 event in London. In the UK, around 900 3D screens were in operation by the end of September 2010, more than 20% of total screen volume. “Every major exhibitor in the country


is in the process of digitising their cir- cuits,” notes Tim Richards, chief execu- tive of Vue Cinemas. He predicts that within three years, the major UK cir- cuits will all be fully digitised. The momentum behind 3D seems


unstoppable. “Our audience loves 3D films in all genres,” says Richards. “They love action fi lms. They love ani- mated features. Everything looks better and crisper in 3D. It’s a much more immersive experience.” The strength of the 3D market is


underlined by the number of players active. In North America, RealD remains the dominant system. Europe is a much more open marketplace. RealD is the leader with a market share of around 40% but other competitors are making inroads.


■ 20 Screen International European 3D special 2010


3D SCREENS IN EUROPE, 2009


COUNTRY; DIGITAL


SCREENS*; PERCENTAGE EQUIPPED WITH 3D TECHNOLOGY


■ Austria 239; 80-plus %


■ Belgium 144; 80-plus %


■ Czech Republic 50; 80-plus %


■ France 904; 52.8% ■ Germany 592; 62.3% ■ Ireland 112; 80-plus % ■ Italy 428; 80-plus %


■ Netherlands 105; 80-plus %


■ Norway 61; 80-plus % ■ Poland 176; 80-plus %


■ Portugal 181; 80-plus %


■ Russia 352; 80-plus % ■ Spain 238; 80-plus %


■ Switzerland 63; 80-plus %


■ Turkey 62; 80-plus % ■ UK 668; 70.8%


■ Europe overall 4,693; 68.8%


* As of December 31, 2009. Source: European Audiovisual Observatory


StreetDance 3D was released on 350 3D screens in the UK Some observers, however, are ques-


tioning whether the 3D format is an end in itself — or simply the means through which exhibitors are being cajoled to accept digitisation. “Why do we have digital 3D cinemas in multiplexes today?” asks Brussels-based producer- director Ben Stassen of nWave. “It’s not to provide the audience with a new and exciting experience. It was a strategic move on behalf of the US studios to push digital cinema. The exhibitors didn’t want to go away from 35mm fi lm and buy a more expensive system, but [because of 3D] they had a reason.” Karsten Grummitt, managing direc-


tor of the UK’s Dodona Research, sug- gests that “as a stimulator of growth, 3D is probably over. We’re not expecting it


to go away but we’re not really expecting it to drive ticket prices any higher than where they are now. Its novelty value must be decreasing by the day.” Stassen argues that spectators are


quickly becoming tired of paying enhanced ticket prices for fi lms which use 3D in opportunistic fashion, describing big-budget studio titles con- verted into 3D during post-production as “a total rip-off”. “We have to treat audiences seriously


and handle 3D as a true revolutionary language,” he says. “Not every film should be in 3D but if you make them in 3D, really make them in 3D.” Others share the concern that audi-


ences may fall out of love with films which simply add on 3D as part of the


3D has been a major boost for the industry and a major driver of digital conversion, with the international market now having more digital screens than the US. But will the 3D growth boom continue? By Geoffrey Macnab


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