Dredd (2012)

[Mark Taylor]

Just to say btw, I think there are more 2d prints in the wild now.

Looking like a town we can get to has it and it's is in three others nearbye now.  So looks like ,as someone said, they held them back to maximise launch weekend.

Hope you get to see it soon, then.

[DrRocka]

This may be nonsense, and I'll sure someone'll put me right if so, but is the reason for such a limited 2d release designed to cut down on badly recorded copes leaking onto the internet prior to the U.S. release? I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot more cinemas showing 2d performances once it's out over there...

[MR. ELIMINATOR]

Maybe, that and that the cinema can charge more for 3D so naturally they go for that option.

[Professor Bear]

Yeah, I'd go with the "makes them more money" answer over the anti-piracy one.  Pirate copies of movies are usually of a pretty dreadful visual quality anyway, so I don't see a rip of a 3d movie being that much worse.

[A.Cow]

Given that most big blockbusters look better in 2D (having been shot for that format) it makes sense to have a lot of 2D prints plus some (hastily) post-converted 3D ones, just to maximise income.  Post-conversion makes for terrible 3D because the focus is usually all wrong.

However, presuming that film distributors are not all money-grabbing bastards, there is the possibility that Dredd's mostly-3D release was an artistic decision, based on the fact that the movie was designed & shot in 3D and that 3D is the best viewing format for it.

If I remember correctly, John Carter* was also designed as a 3D project (although much of it was post-converted), and that movie was also relatively hard to find in 2D.

Can't remember whether Transformers 3 was similar, but quite a bit of that was shot on 3D camera rigs; it was certainly CGI rendered for 3D.  Then again, given the expected box office, they would have probably hedged their bets.


* (Which was very unfairly labelled by frenzied media as a massive flop.  They seem to only ever quote the US box office of $78M, yet the movie made $250M outside the US.  That makes it break even, if you discount the expensive (and very poor) advertising campaign.)

[karl]

* (Which was very unfairly labelled by frenzied media as a massive flop.  They seem to only ever quote the US box office of $78M, yet the movie made $250M outside the US.  That makes it break even, if you discount the expensive (and very poor) advertising campaign.)

Except half of that went to theatres, not the studio. You also have to pay for that very expensive ad campaign, which can be tens or hundreds of millions of dollars extra.

[radiator]

Yeah I think Disney admitted that they lost something like $200m on John Carter.

[Bubba Zebill]

Good grud.

[James Stacey]

Post-conversion makes for terrible 3D because the focus is usually all wrong.

Didn't Alex Garland say that this was completely untrue in practice. Some early post converted films were like this because they were rushed out to be in the cinema with Avatar but there is little difference if done right

[Goaty]

Can't believe the Dredd poster I created was used in this CBM article!

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/CaptainDC10/news/?a=67133#hmOvYVcCLz86wMSy.99

[Something Fishy]

Hope you get to see it soon, then.

Thank you.  Fingers crossed.

[shaolin_monkey]

Can't believe the Dredd poster I created was used in this CBM article!

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/CaptainDC10/news/?a=67133#hmOvYVcCLz86wMSy.99

Congrats Goaty!  That pic has also been gracing my iPad and Facebook page ever since you first posted it.  It is bloody awesome!

[IndigoPrime]

Yeah, I'd go with the "makes them more money" answer over the anti-piracy one.

Low budget; niche property; 3D, despite being made for $45m; the kind of film that probably won't have the long tail of the likes of Brave. That all points to a good reason to go for 3D saturation and higher ticket price-points. As for more 2D prints, I live in hope, but I just checked next week's local times in the nearest 11 multiplexes and the only change right now is a small reduction in showtimes.

[Goaty]

Congrats Goaty!  That pic has also been gracing my iPad and Facebook page ever since you first posted it.  It is bloody awesome!

Thanks! It's on my iPhone, my iPad, my work iMac screen! Awesome, here the picture to see what I talks about...?

[Something Fishy]

He must have hated it when CD's replaced records.

Well no, as i have a visual not hearing disability.

That seemed like the sort of post that's just put up to have a pop at somebody for the sake of it, without any consideration of context.

Anyway, very pleased that somehow the local chain (Merlin) must be using Cineworld if they are the one with 2d prints, as they have a few copies across the area.