DreamWorks’ Katzenberg explores third dimension with 3-D ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’
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Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive of DreamWorks Animation SKG, believes movies are on the cusp of a ‘3-D revolution,’ a technological leap on the same level of importance as sound and color.
‘To me, this is a chance to reinvent and reinvigorate the theater experience,’ he said this morning at a screening of scenes from ‘Monsters vs. Aliens,’ a DreamWorks title set for release in late March. ‘It’s actually a chance to bring people back to the theaters who have stopped coming.’
Katzenberg is putting his money where his mouth is. His studio, which created ‘Shrek’ and ‘Madagascar,’ has invested $30 million a year for the last several years and hired 150 people to create 3-D movies. Katzenberg estimated that making ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ in 3-D added $15 million in cost, or 10% of the $150-million production budget.
Will he make back that money? With the credit markets frozen, many theaters may find their upgrade to digital 3-D projectors delayed, according to the New York Times. That, in turn, affects the studio’s revenue projections because tickets to see movies in 3-D cost more.
Katzenberg projected optimism, saying he expected 2,150 or more screens to have 3-D capability by the time ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ comes out, compared with just 1,300 when Disney’s ‘Bolt’ came out in 3-D in November. ‘We’re anticipating ...
... a $5 ticket premium, and with less than 10% of admissions to come from 3-D, we will recoup our costs,’ he said.
When DreamWorks releases ‘Shrek 4’ in the fall of 2010, Katzenberg expects 7,500 theater screens to show the movie in 3-D, generating 80% of the movie’s admissions. ‘That’s a game changer for our industry,’ he said. ‘It’s becoming an important and meaningful source of incremental revenue for the industry. We have got to offer people a reason to come back to the theater.’
Wouldn’t that advantage be erased when home televisions integrate 3-D, as we noted in a story last week about 3-D technologies on display at the Consumer Electronics Show?
At CES, Jon Landau, the producer of ‘Titanic’ and the upcoming ‘Avatar,’ touted 3-D television as a significant advance in a moviemaker’s ability to tell stories. ‘For us, 3-D is the future,’ Landau said. Quoting James Cameron, the director of both movies, he added, ‘It’s like dreaming with your eyes open.’
But Katzenberg said TVs wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to theaters when it comes to 3-D. ‘First of all, you have to sit very close to get the full viewing experience,’ he said. ‘So for a 50-inch set, you need to be able to sit 50 inches or less away from the screen.’ Secondly, he said, ambient light detracts from the 3-D effect. ‘Any light source can diminish the experience. And none of us live in a place with a blacked-out room.’
‘Will 3-D come to the home? Absolutely,’ he said. ‘Will it compete with the theater? I don’t think so.’
-- Alex Pham
Images from ‘Monsters vs. Aliens.’ Credit: DreamWorks Animation SKG