Enjoy 3D Movies at Home

FANS scrambled to see 3D movies such as "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" in theaters this year and new 3D televisions could soon have home viewers feeling as if they're surrounded by a spaghetti hurricane on their couches.

Next year major electronics manufacturers Sony Corp and Panasonic Corp plan to introduce 3D-capable high-definition televisions for the mass market. You'll still need to wear special glasses, though.

Movie studios hope 3D can help lift the sagging home video market the same way it has pushed up box office results.

The initial price of such sets is expected to be high - perhaps 20 percent more than normal sets of the same size. But costs should come down in the coming years.

Depending on prices, 3D-ready TVs could be in 28 million to 46 million homes worldwide by 2013, predicts Alfred Poor, an analyst with GigaOM Pro. He estimates that next year, as many as 2.5 million sets worldwide will be sold with 3D capability.

"We're raising a whole generation of kids who expect to see this effect for their movies at home," Poor said. "I think people want 3D. I just don't think they're going to want to pay a whole lot more for it."

To avoid the need for special screens, some manufacturers of TV sets are shunning the 3D technology common in theaters in favor of what's known as "active shutter." That uses an infrared emitter on the TV to tell battery-powered glasses when to flicker the left and right lenses in conjunction with the images on the screen, which gives the perception of three dimensions.

The sets themselves will require relatively minor upgrades from today's models, but the glasses will cost more, raising the price of the overall package.

There's no question 3D movies are popular.

They generated more than US$1 billion at box offices worldwide this year, and on a per-screen basis, 3D showings typically bring in more than double the revenue of regular screenings when a movie is offered in both versions.

For hits like Disney/Pixar's "Up" and 20th Century Fox's "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," more than half of ticket revenues came from 3D screens, despite accounting for far fewer showings, according to research firm Screen Digest. Those screenings tend to fill up, and moviegoers are willing to pay a few dollars extra per ticket.

Making these 3D movies hasn't been cheap, and so far there hasn't been an adequate way to recoup those higher costs in the home video market, which brings in far more dollars to studios than the theatrical release.

In September, DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc released a two-disc pack of "Monsters vs Aliens" with just a 3-D bonus vignette accompanying a 2D version of the movie.

It comes with cardboard glasses with magenta and green lenses that create a 3D effect. The so-called "anaglyph" technology is out of date and can distort colors but works with regular TVs.

"We think for 10 minutes or so, it's a fun experience, but it's not a great experience for an-hour-and-a-half or two-hour movie," said John Batter, DreamWorks' co-president of production for feature animation.

The studio is considering a re-release of the movie at higher prices using modern 3D technology, followed by future releases after 3D TVs become available next year.

Batter said 3D releases "will certainly grow over time and it will become I think a significant part of our home video business in a three- to five-year cycle."

Meanwhile, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the stop-motion animated movie "Coraline" in July both in 2D and 3D with the cardboard glasses, but director Henry Selick said he was disappointed with the result.

"I wish they'd waited to do the home 3D release until the technology caught up to what it was in the theaters," Selick told a conference last month. "I'm disappointed in how few people got to see it in the best possible way."

Read more >>

3D adds more depth to Toy Story

When George Lucas released his digitally tweaked versions of the original “Star Wars’’ trilogy in the mid-’90s, his rationale was that he wanted the experience of watching the films to be everything that we remembered. If we remembered the effects as being more advanced than they actually were, then that’s what he’d give us. (Oh, he also had a new trilogy to prime us for, in case we weren’t already planning to buy tickets. And toys and video games and Underoos.)

With the new double-feature reissue of the “Toy Story’’ films, Disney and Pixar follow the same model. They’re giving their flagship a 3-D makeover so the movies don’t look stale next to “Up’’ - and when “Toy Story 3’’ opens next June, it won’t have been 11 years since we had Woody and Buzz Lightyear on the brain.

Happily, “Toy Story’’ and current technology do make a terrific match. Seeing the imagery dimensionalized subtly adds to the already tangible curviness of Woody and Buzz’s molded plastic world. And since the movies were conceived in 2-D, there’s no “comin’ atcha’’ gimmickry. When Buzz takes flight, infinity and beyond are still generally situated off to one side, not right at the audience. Oooh-eliciting depth-of-field moments come in more natural ways: An incidental shot of the green army men lining up in formation in the sequel, say, or Woody’s nightmare drop into a discarded-toy abyss.

Precisely because the two movies predate 3-D’s recent rise, they also do more than just pay lip service to animators’ self-declared rule that story always comes first. That’s what they say - but it sure feels like we’re seeing some animated features that are content to coast on 3-D’s dazzle factor and just cobble together a script. The stories here, particularly in the first installment, feel as imaginative as ever. And the Pixar crew even puts effort into the intermission, offering a reel of 2-D video trivia, clips, etc.

The only issues with the double bill are with the presentation. “Grindhouse’’ attempted a similar two-fer, and that was an endurance test, even for adults. It’s hard to say how the three-hour running time will go over here, although a good portion of the crowd at a preview screening did hang in for the entire show, including mock outtakes.

A memo to the tech folks: If so much of 3-D is aimed at kids, what’s with the one-size-fits-all glasses? And the slight color muting continues to be a distraction. “Toy Story’’ is supposed to be all about a kid’s brightly hued world. Mr. Potato Head’s ears should be screaming pink, not guest-bedroom dusty rose.

SOURCE

James Cameron's 3D Movie Avatar

16 minutes of James Cameron''s much anticipated, high-tech follow-up to 1997''s ''Titanic'' was released earlier this week.

Twentieth Century Fox is showing preview footage of the 3D sci-fi adventure at cinemas around the globe on Friday. The audience will include lucky fans who scored free tickets online to what they''re calling "Avatar Day."

The extended preview will show on 102 screens in America and 342 internationally. According to Fox, a total of 58 countries are participating.

Tickets to the event sold out within 24 hours after being released.

The film follows a former marine who joins an alien army to help defend their planet against a human invasion. The story was written by Cameron, who says it was 14 years in conception, and four years in the making.

"Avatar" features Sigorney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, and Giovanni Rabisi and stars newcomer Sam Worthington in the lead role.

Some estimates have pegged the budget for "Avatar" in the 300-million dollar range, but Fox has published a figure closer to 230-million dollars.

Cameron is best known for "Titanic," currently the most profitable film in history at 1.8 billion dollars, but he hasn''t been resting on his laurels for the past 12 years. He directed a series of 3D underwater documentaries, like "Aliens of the Deep."

If the film is a box-office success, Cameron said it could move 3-D cinema into the mainstream.

"Avatar" explodes onto screens in December.

Source : "Avatar Day" Show Clip of Cameron's 3D Movie

Ice Age 3 Sets an Opening Record for Animated Film

Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs crushed all before it as an estimated $148m haul from 101 markets through Fox delivered the sixth biggest international launch ever and the biggest animated debut in history.

The extraordinary result surpassed its predecessor and ranked number one in most territories, setting a string of industry records. The animated release combined with the $67.5m number one North American opening to move past $215m worldwide in its first weekend.

Paramount/DreamWorks’ Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen cruised towards $300m in its second weekend through PPI, while Sony’s one-two punch from Angels & Demons and Terminator Salvation saw those films reach $342m and $228m, respectively.

Ice Age 3 went out on 11,652 screens and the 3D result was significant, delivering $51m from 2,126 screens for 34% of the total revenue from 18% of the screens in what was the widest and most lucrative 3D launch ever.

It is worth bearing in mind that premium price points for 3D ticket sales often lead to a disproportionately high figure when compared to the screen count.

The overall debut ranks behind only Pirates Of The Caribbean 3 on $251m, Spider-Man 3 on $230.9m, Harry Potter 5 on $185.3n, Transformers 2 on $165.4m, and The Da Vinci Code’s $155m.

Fox International executives noted that if Ice Age 3 were compared to Transformers 2 in the same territories (the animated release is yet to open in China, Japan, South Korea and Italy) it in fact surpassed PPI’s hit by $27.5m. Similarly, it beat The Da Vinci Code by $23.4m.

The film set new industry marks in well over a dozen territories, among them Russia on $18.9m (589m roubles), Mexico on $10m ($132.4m pesos) for 65% market share, Brazil on $10.3m, and Austria on $3.4m (€2.4m).

Germany produced $16.6m and the UK delivered $13.1m (£7.9m) including two days of previews, while France’s $15.7m (€11.1m) was one of more than ten territories that produced all-time animated launch records. Another was India, where Ice Age 3 grossed $395,000 (19m rupees).

In other key markets, the film managed $9m in Spain, $6.5m in Australia, $3m in Switzerland for the second biggest animated launch behind Ice Age 2, and $2m in Norway for once again the silver medal in the all-time animated pantheon behind Ice Age 2. There was a notable result too in Hong Kong, where it took $1.9m from 67 screens including a record $1.6m from 50 3D screens.

* Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen added $55.3m from 9,546 sites in 62 territories through PPI and after a mere two weekends stands at $298m. The biggest contribution came from South Korea, where the film held well on $8m from 1,030 sites after a 27% drop for $26.2m.

The warring robots added $5.2m in China from 1,009 sites for $41.6m, $5.1m in Australia from 240 for $22m, $3.8m in France from 660 for $12.7m, and $3.5m in the UK from 493 for $34.3m. The mechanical mayhem resisted Ice Age 3 to stay top in Australia and New Zealand, and also held on to number one spots in Italy and South Korea.

* With Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince waiting in the wings, Warner Bros Pictures International reported another solid weekend for its hit comedy The Hangover as $9m from 1,950 screens in 30 markets raised the tally to $61.6m.

Fuelled by the close of Fete Du Cinema in France the comedy used a $2.1m haul to climb to $4.8m in third place after two weekends. In the UK it added $2.5m from 415 sites for $22.6m after four, and grossed $1.7m from 228 screens in the fourth weekend in Australia for $11.5m.

* Terminator Salvation has reached $228.7m after grossing $5m from 4,590 screens in 63 markets. Sony Pictures Releasing International’s portion was $4.9m for a $202.6m running total. The action romp added $1.8m in Japan from 396 screens in the fifth weekend for $28.7m and stands at $22.9m in the UK after the same amount of time.
* Angels & Demons added a further $2.6m from 2,670 screens in 62 markets for $342.2m and after eight weekends has reached $43.9m in Germany,

$33.6m in Japan, $28.2m in the UK, $20.9m in Spain, $17.7m in France, $25.6m in Italy, and $13.7m in Australia.

* Sony’s comedy Year One took $1.4m from 575 screens in five markets for an early $7m tally. The UK generated $820,000 from 381 in its second weekend for $3.3m and Australia produced $525,000 from 185 for $3.6m after three.

* Universal/UPI’s thriller Public Enemies opened day-and-date with North America in five territories for $5.3m from 958 venues overall. The highlights were a third place debut in the UK on $3.6m from 458, and $1.2m from 395 in Mexico for third place. France will be among ten new markets to receive the film next weekend.

* State Of Play added $2m from 1,000 in 33 territories for $43.8m. In France, where it is released through Studio Canal, it held strong in fifth place on $1.1m from 394 for $3.2m after two weekends. There are six more territories in Latin America to open over the next two months.

* Coraline stands at $38.1m and there are 12 territories to go over the next few months including Australia and Germany in August. Finally the comedy Bruno will launch next weekend day-and-date with North America in all eight Universal territories including the UK, Germany and Australia.

* The Proposal added a further $4.2m through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International from 1,753 screens in 15 territories for an early $29.5m. Australia generated $1.6m in fourth place from 240 sites in its third weekend for $8.5m, and Mexico delivered $598,000 in fifth from 435 for $4.5m after three. Russia has produced $6.4m so far and according to Disney ranks as the biggest romantic comedy of the year-to-date.

* Hannah Montana The Movie climbed $2.6m from 2,040 theaters in 28 territories for a very respectable $59.9m after adding $1m from 185 screens in its second weekend in Australia to rank fifth on $2.7m.

* Disney is adopting its customary softly-softly approach with its Pixar release Up, which so far has amassed $50.8m after adding $1.8m from 1,350 screens in 15 to track ahead of Wall-E and Ratatouille at the same stage.

The film’s second major wave of releases comes when it lands in France, Spain, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan on July 29.

source

Ice Age 3 : Movie Review

Here's a review article for Ice Age 3 : Dawn of the Dinosaurs from this site written by Bob Mondello.

All Things Considered, July 1, 2009 · The animated comedy Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is the eighth movie Hollywood has released this year in 3-D. By the end of 2009, there will have been 13 films for which audiences will have worn special polarized glasses, compared with just one in 2003 — and none at all in the decade before that.

The 3-D revolution is really and truly with us, in other words — so without pretending we're going into too much depth, let's have a look at three dimensions of the latest Ice Age iteration that really matter:

Dimension One: Characters. Start with Scrat, that single-minded saber-toothed squirrel, still sniffing and snuffling in search of his beloved acorn.

As always, he finds it, and as always, something keeps him from enjoying it — in this case a squirrel-fatale who's every bit as acorn-crazed as he is. At first they have a Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote-type relationship, but her hold over him becomes progressively more domestic until he's a henpecked hubby, rearranging the furniture in their love nest while gazing longingly at the acorn from afar.

Also back for another round: woolly mammoths Manny and Ellie (voiced by Ray Romano and Queen Latifah), who have a mini-mammoth on the way. That happy expectation means their hapless little chosen family of ice-age misfits — Diego (Denis Leary), a saber-toothed tiger who's learned not to eat his buddies, and Sid (John Leguizamo), a sloth whose mental ice tray is a couple of cubes short — are feeling left out.

Which brings us to Dimension Two: Plot. When Sid falls through a hole in the ice into a warmer, center-of-the-Earth-style world, he finds three enormous eggs and decides to use them to start a family of his own. Alas, their biological parent — a T. rex — isn't pleased, and she spirits the hatchlings and Sid down to her world, whereupon adventures ensue.

Some of those scrapes involve a swashbuckling weasel, who I'm afraid I left out in Dimension One. Which is no small oversight, because he's voiced by Simon Pegg as a cross between Errol Flynn and Johnny Depp at his Jack Sparrow-est. As the lone resident mammal in the otherwise reptilian world under the ice — he apparently fell through long ago and got acclimated — he more or less takes over the second half of the picture.

And so we arrive at Dimension Three: How does the Ice Age message — basically, "Can't we all just work past our differences and get along?" — translate to 3-D?

Well, it certainly plays out with more visual depth, though the animators don't insist on shoving things into your lap every three seconds.

Don't get me wrong: When pterodactyls fly over your shoulder, it's plenty persuasive, but the effect is becoming natural enough that I actually forgot for much of the picture that I was wearing glasses. Dimensions One and Two — characters and plot — are primary here, as they should be, technical wizardry notwithstanding.

In fact, unlike say, Monsters Vs. Aliens, which would have been nothing at all without its special-effects spectacle, this is a sweet little comedy, both family-friendly and centered on a nontraditional family, and so suitable for pretty much everyone.

Everyone, that is, who can get past the not-really-minor, probably inescapable fact that come next fall, elementary-school teachers everywhere will face classes full of kids absolutely convinced that an ice age marked the dawn of the dinosaurs.

They'll have seen it at the movies, after all — and in lifelike 3-D, too.

Do you agree?

Ray Romano Whines About Ice Age 3 : Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Ice Age has been a lucrative franchise for Ray Romano. As if TV syndication residuals weren't enough, he gets animation money for providing the voice of Manny the mammoth. Still, the release of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs just opens up old wounds.

"People think I'm just talking when I'm doing Manny but there's actually a voice that I'm doing," Romano said. "It's funny because everybody thinks the couple movies I've done, people just think you're you but in your head, you hear your voice, you're doing a character. You're hearing your voice different. It's maybe only to your ear but you are doing it. I mean, does this sound like Manny right now?"

Actually, Ray, it does. But we still love you as Manny's voice. "I have a couple lines from Ice Age 1 that kind of ramps me into Manny. [Manny] is a little more nasaly."

If his own typecast weren't enough, the cartoon series keeps bringing in other comedians to steal Romano's thunder. "It's tough for me when you bring the new guys in because I know they're going to get all the laughs. It's always the little guys. I'm like okay, Sid gets all the laughs. In the second one, I go there's Crash and Eddie. In the third one, there's another new little guy."

So lend your support to Manny and Ray when Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs opens July 1.

A news from Starpulse.com.

Ice Age 3 : Dawn of the Dinosaurs Latest Trailer

The sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbusters "Ice Age" and "Ice Age : The Meltdown" are back, on an incredible adventure...for the ages. Scrat is still trying to nab the ever-elusive nut(while, maybe, finding true love); Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) await the birth of their mini-mammoth; Diego (Denis Leary) the Saber-toothed tiger wonders if he's growing too "soft" hanging with his pals and Sid (John Leguizamo) the sloth gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaurs eggs. On a mission to rescue the hapless Sid, the gang ventures into a mysterious underground world, where they have some close encounters with dinosaurs, battle flora and fauna, run amuck, and meet a relentless, one-eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg).

previous trailer

Visit Ice Age Official Site