Big 3D opening weekend

posted by Michael Zoldessy on July 18, 2008 at 3:45 pm

“Journey to the Center of the Earth” performed big in its opening weekend in 3D. How will this affect a future rollout?

The success of Warner Bros' Journey to the Center of the Earth will likely pressure exhibitors and distributors to find ways to roll out digital presentation systems more quickly. Journey delivered an opening weekend gross of $20.58M, with 57 percent of the gross coming from theatres equipped to show the film in Real D 3D.

This Brendan Fraser family action film is the first live action, narrative Digital 3D film, and the movie performed 3.1 times better in 3D than it did in traditional 2D presentation. I spoke with Real D Chairman/CEO and Co-Founder Michael V. Lewis on Sunday, and he says that Journey delivered an estimated Per Theatre Average of $12,000 in Digital 3D this weekend compared to just $4,000 in 2D. Given the success of 2007’s Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) and the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour Movie (Disney) early this year, it is fair to question why only 1,400 Real D 3D systems have been deployed.

Read the full story at Hollywood.com.

Comments (4)

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on July 18, 2008 at 4:29 pm

This article is a sales pitch. So people with a propensity to see JOURNEY chose 3D over 2D?

The film opened at 2811 locations. According to this article there are 1400 3D systems installed. If all the system screens were showing JOURNEY, and they probably were, then there was a 7% increment which is easily explained by 3D installations being bought for higher grossing locations anyway.

The real story here is – “In spite of the 3D gimmick audiences choose "Hancock” and “Hellboy II” over “Journey to the Center of the Earth”.

KingBiscuits
KingBiscuits on July 19, 2008 at 3:29 am

Actually, only 800 theatres ran Journey To The Center Of The Earth in 3-D.

AryeDirect
AryeDirect on July 19, 2008 at 10:32 pm

Been enthralled with NaturalVision 3-D since, as an eight year old kid, saw ‘House of Wax’ at the first screening on its opening day at the palatial Chicago Theater.

Was plucky enough to see all ‘Wax’, ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’, and ‘It Came from Outer Space’ all in first run.

Although ‘Kiss Me Kate’ and ‘Dial M for Murder’ hit Chicago flat. Many years later saw both with pristine prints in double system 35 projection, and was wowed. ‘Kiss Me Kate’, due to its Cole Porter wickedness, was probably the most clever of all the films shot in the process.

It has taken more than fifty years, but 3-D is now entering its second golden age.

Long live film in ALL its dimensions.

  • Arye Michael Bender
moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on July 20, 2008 at 1:08 am

at the mansfield, theater 1 was showing this movie.

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