The whole issue should not be whether the studios or exhibitors should pay for 3-D glasses. Movie theatre patrons already buy the experience each time they see a 3-D feature presentation, so why are we debating on the business expense of lending them a pair of polarized lenses? Borrowed glasses get broken, abandoned, discarded or taken frequently. Consumers get only temporary value for them that ends when the movie has ended. Therefore, movie theatre patrons should pay for the lenses inclusive of ticket price. Intend them for single use. Expense them based on attendance so consumption is accurately measured. This should allow the studios to concentrate on marketing their product and exhibitors to alleviate the burden of maintaining an adequate amount of rotating 3-D glasses inventory with an uncertain shelf life. There might even be a profit opportunity in branding reuseable “premium” glasses for IMAX 3-D and Real D Cinema that can be sold in theatres if these technologies prove to be viable for a long time.
The whole issue should not be whether the studios or exhibitors should pay for 3-D glasses. Movie theatre patrons already buy the experience each time they see a 3-D feature presentation, so why are we debating on the business expense of lending them a pair of polarized lenses? Borrowed glasses get broken, abandoned, discarded or taken frequently. Consumers get only temporary value for them that ends when the movie has ended. Therefore, movie theatre patrons should pay for the lenses inclusive of ticket price. Intend them for single use. Expense them based on attendance so consumption is accurately measured. This should allow the studios to concentrate on marketing their product and exhibitors to alleviate the burden of maintaining an adequate amount of rotating 3-D glasses inventory with an uncertain shelf life. There might even be a profit opportunity in branding reuseable “premium” glasses for IMAX 3-D and Real D Cinema that can be sold in theatres if these technologies prove to be viable for a long time.
It is indeed: Adult, Child, Pass