While almost every major studio spent ShoWest this week lauding 3D as the future of their industry and pushing for ways to make it more mainstream, Fox is as usual, going their own way. They have three 3D movies coming in 2010, but they aren’t interested in providing the eyewear people will need to watch them.
Business Insider reports that Fox is refusing to pay the $1 million per movie it’ll cost to provide movie theaters with the polarized, 3D glasses necessary for viewers to watch their movies in 3D. Instead, they want movie theaters to pay for them on their own and as a result, the nation’s major theater chains are revolting.
Regal Cinemas for instance, has already decided they’ll pass on showing Ice Age 3 in 3D, as long as they’re stuck holding the bag for the glasses. AMC theaters and Cinemark are also expected to oppose Fox’s demand that they buy the glasses themselves. So in an environment where Hollywood is desperate to push 3D as a format, get it on more screens, get it in front of more faces, Fox has effectively accomplished the exact opposite.
It is however, sort of easy to understand Fox’s position. Generally they make the movies and theater owners are expected to buy the equipment necessary to show them. Fox doesn’t pay for their projectors or their screens or their theater seats. Why should they pay for the glasses? On the other hand, on a big-budget movie like Ice Age 3, $1 million dollars is really just a drop in the bucket. They’ll spend tens of millions on marketing it alone. $1 million bucks is chump change to Fox and they aren’t in the power position here. 3D hasn’t reached the point where it’s a necessity for these theater chains. They’ll do just fine without it. Fox on the other hand, if they truly believe 3D is their future, desperately need as many theaters as possible to use the 3D format. If they’re smart, they’ll just give in and pay it.
