As Hollywood Embraces 3D, Economy Stymies Rollout

Here comes the 3D movie rollout like never before. Studios have announced plans to release a record 25 or more 3D titles over the next two years. Movie theaters, meanwhile, have announced plans to install 3D screens in record numbers. In my Display Daily of October 2, 2008 I reported that a consortium of theater owners, including the AMC, Cinemark and Regal, announced an agreement with Hollywood studios to spend nearly $1B to nearly triple the number of digital theaters in North America with 14,000 new installations. While these installations were planned as 2D installations, it is relatively easy (and cheap) to convert a 2D digital screen into a 3D screen. However, it seems the recent economic upheaval has put a kink in some of those plans.