While we can hardly say that we’re surprised, we are definitely dismayed by Warner Bros. honcho Alan Horn’s announcement at ShoWest that all the studio tentpole films will be released in 3D. The studio, which has five movies planned for 3D in 2010 and nine in 2011, is banking on audiences continuing to dazzled by the format.
However, the most intriguing tidbit in all of this is Horn’s defense of 2D to 3D conversion. And while more savvy film fans clearly notice the difference between “Avatar” and “Alice In Wonderland”‘s cheap attempt at the format, given the latter’s strong box office haul, it seems general film audiences either can’t tell the difference, or simply don’t care. And from a studio perspective, converting a film to 3D in post is certainly more cost effective than actually filming in the format, and if audiences don’t care, why should they?
The next 3D film for Warner Bros. is the recently converted “Clash Of The Titans.” The format is still in its early days and we wonder if audiences will tire of the trend or not. And while early successes like “Avatar” and “Alice In Wonderland” point to a bright future, there is only so many half-baked, post-production 3D conversions you can throw at audiences before they’ll start resenting paying premium dollars for the “experience.”