Ogles and goggles: life in a new dimension

Reuters

FLYING AHEAD: James Cameron's vision for Avatar was so futuristic that technology had to catch up before the film could be made.

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The science-fiction epic Avatar is shaping as the turning point for movies in 3D.

Early signs are that director James Cameron's film is winning over audiences to a format that was considered gimmicky until Hollywood studios saw its potential in the fight against home cinema and piracy.

The head of 20th Century Fox in Australia, Marc Wooldridge, expects Avatar to be the first Hollywood blockbuster to earn more from 3D sessions than traditional 2D in this country.

"For a lot of people, it will be their first digital 3D film," he said, noting that most previous releases have been animations, family movies and concert films.

Avatar took an impressive $2.5 million on its opening day - 66 per cent from 3D - and is expected to become one of the year's biggest hits.

A late surge in cinemas switching from 35mm to digital projection boosted its takings in the revived format.

When Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs opened in July, 150 of the country's 2000-odd screens could show 3D. Now it is 230.

"We've geared our circuit towards the opening of this film," said David Seargeant, the managing director of Amalgamated Holdings Ltd, which owns the Greater Union chain. "We think 3D will be huge."

Mr Seargeant said the chain now had 25 per cent of its 450 screens in the format. Its advance ticket sales for Avatar were running 10 to 1 in favour of the extra dimension.

The head of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia, Alan Finney, was surprised by the interest in 3D when the animated film Up opened in September. More than 40 per cent of its box office of $28 million came from the format.

While he is yet to see Avatar, Mr Finney believes the immersive experience will justify the extra $2 to $3 that cinemas are charging for sessions. "It's not just a gimmick," he said.

The head of the Independent Cinemas Association, Mark Sarfaty, said there had been a "mad rush" to install 3D systems - at a cost of $130,000 to $150,000 - before Avatar opened. "This is a huge advance," he said of its immersive 3D. "What we're after as an audience is something that's close to real life. … We've been waiting for something that will take the image off that flat screen and digital 3D is it."

- © Fairfax NZ News