North American audiences have lost enthusiasm for 3D. Maybe China is the soil for their pioneering efforts?

the overall box office of 3D films in the United States fell by 8% last year, which does confirm that audiences have lost their enthusiasm for the technology and become more and more boring in just a decade.

original title: why can't even James Cameron save 3D movies?

James Cameron is already looking forward to the release of Terminator 2: judgment Day next week. More than 1,000 top Hollywood filmmakers made a six-month 3D conversion of the 1991 action blockbuster, a clumsy 3D conversion method that Cameron used to laugh at. It feels like a strange turn back in time: the post-Avatar light he taught in 21st-century 3D movies has long since faded. Last year, the overall box office of 3D films in the United States fell by 8%, which does confirm that audiences have lost their enthusiasm for the technology and become more and more boring in just a decade.

Cameron has not completely abandoned 3D technology. "I think it will be a long time before we can reach its full potential," Cameron said in an interview with Wired this week. If so, the replay of Terminator 2 is a stopgap measure before the start of the sequel to Avatar in 2020, and it is also a temporary reminder for Cameron that after nearly a decade without work, he is still a leading Hollywood high-tech filmmaker. But 3D technology seems to have entered a difficult period. Not only has the high-definition picture quality not been achieved, but it is still regarded as a shoddy "money-grabbing" transaction, which costs both eyes and money. 3D technology is fading into oblivion. All major TV manufacturers announced earlier this year that they would no longer produce 3D TV shows-a statement that further confirms that 3D works have failed to become a new form of culture.

given that its motive is naked for money, the reputation of 3D works is less surprising. 3D films with higher ticket prices have been seen as an aid to the stagnant Western box office in the mid-2000s, especially at a time when DVD revenues are also declining. "Avatar" is arguably the perfect promotion of this technology: not only is it a leader in digital technology, but its story also perfectly describes the feeling of "immersion", which is exactly what 3D movies hope to attract younger audiences. A game-oriented picture and story. The arrival of this technology is also accompanied by a period of vigorous development of cinema construction throughout developing countries. Most of the new screens in many countries are equipped with 3D projection devices, so the overseas box office has grown significantly in the 21st century, driven by new media devices.

greed has had a foreseeable impact on the quality of 3D works. Hollywood relies on emerging markets to pay for unpolished, special-effects second-tier blockbusters, making them receptive to Wars of the Gods, Special Forces and Terminator: Genesis, which are likely to be the product of cheap 3D. Most of the continued interest in 3D as a narrative tool has been eroded in the gold rush (still, it's not the strongest narrative in Hollywood). Unfortunately, some pioneers do realize the rich achievements that the film fusion 3D technology can bring: the zero-gravity rotation shot of "Avatar" perfectly shows the excitement and excitement of Jack Sally getting a new body on the personnel carrier. Martin Scorsese successfully recreated the history of the film's birth in Hugo with George Merry as the medium. With a primitive perspective, Werner Herzog makes us feel as if we were there in the Shaw Weir Cave of "forgotten Dream Cave".

after the success of the 2009" Avatar "movie, a sequel to" Avatar "will be released in 2020.

detractors of 3D films may say that the artistic achievements of these films are too little to defend 3D fanaticism. These people must be very happy now, because 3D seems to have gradually lost the battle for the soul of the movie. Real 3D is now very rare, mainly animated clips simplified by some virtual camera devices. VR has now overshadowed 3D, but if the new technology is to replace cinemas, it will face bigger obstacles in reshaping narrative.

but in China, 3D movies are the main force in the industry. Compared with 39% of 3D screens in North America, China accounts for 78% of 3D screens. In other words, it is unlikely that 3D movies will disappear in China overnight. The high proportion of the screen encourages the production of 3D action blockbusters, such as Jean-Jacques Arnold's Wolf Totem and Sun WuKong's three dozen White Bone Spirit, which was released last year. Over the past decade, 3D films have boosted the popularity of modern cinemas in China (regardless of the more confusing 4DX films, the technology is a complete imitation of the "environmental effects" technique used by horror film master William Casto). Perhaps China is the most suitable stage for exploring new uses and stories of 3D technology. "Wolf Warriors 2" is a hit on the screen, but judging from the departure of RPG rockets in the movie, there is still a long way to go. Pray for good luck, or at James Cameron's slow pace, I'm afraid we'll really have to say goodbye to 3D movies.

Edit: xiongwei