Weekend Talker: 3D Movies—Good Buy or Bye-Bye?

Thor. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Kung Fu Panda 2. Cars 2. 

The summer movie season is officially here, and many of the anticipated blockbusters are hitting theaters on two screens: One in standard 2D and the other in 3D. 

Marcus Theatres recently announced it was going to upgrade eight of its UltraScreens to be able to show digital 3D movies. But is the investment going to pan out? 

Back in 2009, industry execs were saying 3D would save the movie business, according to an article in Entertainment Weekly. Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks said then that all his company's future animated films would be shot in 3D. 

"I really believe this could turn the tide Hollywood's way," Katzenberg told EW. 

In the same article, Jon Landau, James Cameron's producing partner, said they hoped Avatar in 3D would make people feel like they were in that world rather than looking in on it. 

"We want to use technology to transport people to another world,"  he told EW.

But now, some say 3D may already be on the way out. 

Richard Greenfield of Wall Street's BTIG said 3D is hurting the industry, according to this article by David Lieberman of www.deadline.com, and 3D offerings possibly translated into lower box office returns for Pirates of the Caribbean. 

 In area theaters now are 3D and 2D versions of Thor, Pirates and Kung Fu Panda 2. The 3D version costs $3 more than the 2D version. That's an extra $12 for a family of four to see Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D. 

If you're not sure whether 3D is worth it, check out this blog from Laura Prudom on www.moviefone.com. She's got a guide to this summer's 3D movies to splurge on, and which ones to skip.