Who is forcing us to watch 3D movies?

The reporter watched 12 movies in theaters in the past month, 10 of which were in 3D, which was really eye-catching.

"Big Fish and Begonia", which was originally thought to be a 2D animation, was made into a 3D version. Fortunately, the pictures were quite amazing and the 3D effect was acceptable. But what is puzzling is that "Cold War 2", which was clearly a 2D version released in Hong Kong, is almost only a 3D version in China. Not only are there almost no scenes that require 3D effects, but many scenes in the movie have no 3D effects.

Cold War 2 is not an isolated case. Movies such as The Man from Macau 3 and Ip Man 3 are mainly dramas. From a visual point of view, 3D versions are not necessary, and many viewers have complained about this. On Douban, some netizens complained that Cold War 2 was "a gangster movie that had to be made into 3D to make money, with no sincerity", "Excuse me, which frame of this movie is 3D?" The Man from Macau 3 also attracted complaints from Douban netizens for "5-cent special effects", and some netizens also commented that Ip Man 3 "did not need 3D".

Why are there more and more 3D movies in theaters despite average special effects? Who is forcing audiences to watch 3D movies without any choice?

The film company: A few million yuan of cost can bring tens of millions of yuan of revenue, so why not switch to "pseudo 3D"?

"The reason why many domestically produced films have average 3D effects is that many domestically produced 3D films are 'pseudo-3D' converted from 2D films into 3D," said Yu Gang, a director with a background in photography and special effects production. "Although 3D films shot with two cameras have better effects, they are expensive. Therefore, many films, including some imported Hollywood films, are 2D versions converted into 3D through post-production technology."

An industry insider told Yiyuguancha that conversion does not mean the effect will be bad, but the effect is mainly linked to the budget. "The cost of converting overseas films is usually between 2 and 10 million US dollars. The conversion of "Titanic" cost 18 million US dollars and the effect is also very good. The conversion of many domestic films only costs about 5 million yuan, and the conversion results are uneven." Yu Gang said in an interview.

The founder of a film special effects company whose business includes converting 2D to 3D told reporters, "Currently, all good 3D movies are shot with two cameras in the early stage and converted in the later stage. In the past few years, due to government subsidies and other reasons, there were indeed a number of money-making movies that did not have 3D shooting in the early stage, but were just converted from 2D to 3D with very poor effects. Now that technology has improved, as long as there is enough time and investment, domestic films can definitely produce good 3D effects. However, according to our understanding, for many domestic 2D-to-3D conversion films, the budget of 5 million RMB is already not low."

Figure: 3D camera (dual)

The relatively low cost of conversion can bring more profits to the film producers. "The ticket price of 3D movies is high, and for film producers and cinemas, showing 3D versions can bring more box office." Almost all industry insiders interviewed by Yiyuguancha mentioned this.

According to data from Endata, the average ticket price for 3D movies exceeds that for 2D movies by about RMB 5. For example, the average ticket price for "The Mermaid" (3D, giant screen) in China is about RMB 36.6, the average ticket price for "Cold War 2" in China is RMB 36.4, and the average ticket price for "Old Cannon", which was only released in 2D version, is RMB 31.5.

Taking "Cold War 2" as an example, it has attracted more than 16.37 million viewers in China. If calculated based on the 5 yuan ticket price difference, the 3D conversion is equivalent to bringing "Cold War 2" an additional box office revenue of more than 80 million yuan; and for a record-breaking movie like "The Mermaid" with 92.42 million viewers, the 3D conversion is equivalent to an increase of 460 million yuan in total box office revenue.

Yu Gang told reporters that when faced with high returns, the more extreme case is that even the director has no control over whether some films should be made into 3D. After shooting in 2D, the distributors will take the films and make them into 3D. For movies that easily attract tens of millions of viewers, an investment of one million may bring in over 100 million in box office revenue, which is a low-risk deal for the film producers.

Cinemas: The higher the ticket price, the more revenue they earn from sharing the box office, so they are keen on showing 3D versions

The profits from the high ticket prices of 3D movies are not only shared by the producers and distributors, but also by the cinemas and theater chains. In an interview with Yiyuguancha, several theater chain executives and theater managers also stated that when faced with different versions of a movie, theaters prefer to show the 3D version, mainly because the high ticket prices can bring more box office revenue.

According to the current domestic revenue sharing model, after deducting 3.3% of the special business tax and 5% of the special fund for the film industry, the remaining shareable box office revenue is 57% for theaters and cinema chains, while the proportion of the production and distribution parties is usually 43%. Not only do theaters and cinema chains get more revenue from the box office, but the cost of showing 3D in many theaters is actually very low.

A 3D film industry practitioner told the reporter that for a single theater, the cost of adding 3D projection equipment is not high. If you choose cheap domestic equipment, it only costs 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, and ordinary 3D glasses only cost two or three yuan a pair. Some manufacturers even sell

3D glasses are also provided along with the projection equipment, and some manufacturers rent out 3D projection equipment.

"For 3D projection equipment, the investment for a more expensive hall is more than 100,000 yuan, and the investment for a better one like a Dolby hall is more than one million yuan. However, only the good large cinema chains in China will make such investments. Many small and medium-sized cinemas do not use expensive 3D projection equipment." The above person told reporters.

Figure: Sony SRX-R515 3D projector

Low costs can also easily affect the viewing experience. "In addition to the film source, the 3D effect is also affected by many factors including lighting, projection machines, brightness, etc. Especially brightness, the viewing effect of 3D movies will be greatly reduced due to insufficient brightness. The industry has requirements for the brightness of movie projection, but there is no organization in China to check, so many small theaters don't pay much attention to it. This leads to poor 3D viewing effects in many small theaters." The person analyzed.

Under the temptation of higher box office revenue, it has gradually become a tacit understanding and habit between theaters and film producers to not show 2D versions when there is a 3D version. "Now if a movie has both 2D and 3D versions, many film distributors can only choose one of the two for the same movie, and will not give the 3D key if they show 2D." A theater manager in Beijing told Yiyuguancha, "Now most theaters have 3D equipment in all halls, and 3D tickets are higher, so theaters will of course show the 3D version."

Although theaters also prefer to show 3D versions, the lack of special effects in many films has also made theater managers helpless. Many theater managers said in interviews that some audiences have reported that some films have almost no 3D effects, and one theater manager even complained to us, "Not only do audiences dislike it, I also hate some 3D movies very much, because these movies have very poor special effects, and are basically fake 3D. However, 3D ticket prices are high, and for us, it can also increase box office revenue to achieve business goals, so we will also show more 3D instead of 2D."

Dilemma: Piracy is rampant, and film producers are unable to make 3D films

In addition to the high box office revenue brought by high ticket prices, which can bring more income to the film producers and theaters, another important reason that surprised the reporter is that the rampant piracy has forced the film producers to choose the 3D version when releasing the film.

Edko Pictures is the producer and main distributor of Cold War 2. Zhang Han, general manager of Edko Pictures, told reporters that the reason why only the 3D version of Cold War 2 was released in China was to "prevent piracy."

"'Beijing Meets Seattle 2' suffered heavy losses due to piracy. The high-definition version was released on the first day of its release. Although we have found out which cinema it was and are preparing to sue them, the losses that have already occurred cannot be recovered," said Zhang Han.

Zhang Han is a little helpless about the 3D version of a feature film like Cold War 2. "We also know that audiences may dislike feature films in 3D, and it may even affect the reputation of the film. But compared to the situation where pirated copies are flying everywhere, 3D is still much better."

In the view of some film producers, the problem of piracy has become rampant in China and has become unbridled. Another popular film currently in theaters had all kinds of resources "flying all over the sky" on the first day of its release. In addition to the secretly filmed version, there was even a rough cut version. The film producers were not even willing to point out the name of the movie: "Basically every movie in China now has a pirated version as soon as it is released. Those who know about the pirated version will always know about it, while those who go to the cinema may never know about it. If it is reported that our movie has a pirated version, it will actually increase the risk of losses for us."

Some staff members of film distribution companies also told Yiyuguancha that indeed many films are made in 3D just to prevent piracy - after all, it can prevent pirated recordings.

So, back to the question of who is forcing the audience to watch the 3D version with no choice, what we ultimately discover is a very embarrassing reality - but it is also an indisputable fact: in addition to the fact that theaters, producers, and distributors all want the high ticket prices and high profits of 3D, which has led to a large number of 3D movies on the market today, the "audience's" demand for piracy has also become an important reason why the audience has to watch fake 3D.

An unnecessary and poorly produced production process (3D conversion), a screening version that audiences complain about but have to endure. Such a twisted market choice also reflects the hidden problems behind the development of the Chinese film market.

The slowdown in the growth rate of the Chinese film market this year has caught many people by surprise. For domestic films and cinemas, before the box office dream is running wild, continuing to disappoint, regret and complain to the audience will only eventually drive them away from the cinema. The high box office in the early stage will eventually make the market see the consequences of exhausting the resources. And for many "audiences" who curse domestic films while watching pirated copies, they also need to understand that the healthy development of the film industry is not only the responsibility of enterprises, but demand is the source of supply.

The reason is that the audience is also shaping this market and even determining its future.

In the face of the industry, we not only want to discover news, but also want to explore the new knowledge hidden under the tip of the iceberg. Welcome to follow the WeChat official account: Yiyuguancha (yiyuguancha)

This article is authorized by Yiyuguancha to be published on Huxiu.com and edited by Huxiu.com. Original link: http://www.huxiu.com/article/156886/1.html

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.