3D movies aren’t a gimmick anymore

It's no secret that 3D movies are enjoying an incredible resurgence. As studios and exhibitors look for ways to keep providing moviegoers with reasons to leave the comfort of their homes and spend money to go to the movies, 3D has once again become a promising platform.

And with this weekend's release of "Monsters vs. Aliens," one of the most highly anticipated 3D films to date, it is the perfect time for the entertainment industry to gather in Las Vegas at ShoWest 2009 and discuss the current state of 3D.

Among the questions everyone in the motion picture and theater industries should be asking at Monday's convention opening is how we keep 3D from fading away again, when the initial novelty of movies shown in this format wears off.

To date, our industry has used both IMAX 3D theatres and the growth of digital theater systems capable of showing images in 3D to help drive the interest and grow the renewed popularity of 3D. Indeed, the box office performance of some recent 3D films has been impressive. "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds in 3D" took in $31.1 million its first weekend and went on to gross $65.3 million. "The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience" grossed more than $45 million in its first year on only 83 IMAX screens, and has gone on to gross more than $70 million as a seasonal favorite. The combination of promoting new technologies and having more theaters showing films in 3D has helped boost box office returns by bringing moviegoers back to the cinema to see something their home theaters cannot provide.

All of this is encouraging. However, we should not fool ourselves that enlarging the footprint of 3D-capable theaters alone will ensure the success of the medium. Rather, the industry needs to focus on both the stories that are told in 3D and how 3D adds to the total cinematic experience.

At IMAX, we have been working in 3D -- both in producing original content and in converting Hollywood features to IMAX 3D -- for more than two decades, and we have learned that one thing is certain: not every movie works in 3D.

As we see it, with new production tools being developed for the creation of 3D content, the success of 3D films will depend on how these tools are used, and by whom. Indeed, 3D works when our greatest artists are telling their greatest stories using a unique vision for 3D. We need the creative geniuses using the tools that have been developed like motion capture, CGI and digital conversion of live action, and using them to tell thoughtful, resonant narratives, to make 3D movies a lasting innovation.

History shows that the early days of 3D also began on a positive note, with films that captured the moviegoers' attention. But this early success fooled many into thinking that simply adding the 3D treatment to any movie would boost its performance. Instead, the dozens of "B" movies made in 3D over-saturated the marketplace and ultimately overloaded moviegoers' appetite for the medium. This over-saturation turned off many visionary filmmakers of the day.

The few icons who did film in 3D, such as Alfred Hitchcock with "Dial M for Murder," were too late, and as a result, unable to release the film widely in 3D. A brief resurgence of 3D films, in the early 1980s, also failed to lure the leading filmmakers of the day to the medium.

But there are reasons for optimism about the sustainability of 3D this time around. The storytellers who are already telling or plan on telling their stories in 3D in the coming months and years are creative giants in the industry. Visionaries like Tim Burton, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis all have 3D projects under way. With that talent at the helm, it is certain to reset the benchmark for 3D film experiences.

These are imaginative filmmakers who understand both the technology and the importance of the story -- the connective tissue between filmmaker and audience -- to the technology. It is hard to think of a more talented group in whose hands to place the future of this promising medium.

We at IMAX are immensely proud to be involved with so many of these filmmakers and, while we believe the 3D experience we offer is unrivaled, we understand that the real staying power for 3D films depends on the artists telling a compelling story and taking consumers to new places to experience new things they cannot get in their homes. And, ultimately, that is why we think 3D will be a success this time around -- for all of the right reasons that have sustained Hollywood since its beginning -- great technology, great artists, great artistry and great stories. We, as the film industry in Hollywood, should embrace it.

Richard Gelfond is co-chief executive officer of IMAX Corp.