Why are theater films keen on 3D versions? Piracy is rampant, and the film company has no choice but to do 3D

The reporter has watched 12 theater movies in the past month, 10 of which were 3D. Why are there still more and more theater movies in 3D format despite average special effects? Who is forcing the audience to watch the 3D version of the movie with no choice?

In the past month, the reporter watched 12 theater movies, 10 of which were 3D, which made the eyes eye-catching.

"Big Fish Begonia", which was originally thought to be a 2D animated film, was made into a 3D version. Fortunately, the picture is still surprising and the 3D effect is acceptable; but what is puzzling is that "Chills 2", which is 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 pictures in the movie do not have 3D effects.

"Chills 2" is not an isolated example. Films such as "Macau 3" and "Ip Man 3" are mainly characterized by drama films. From a visual perspective, the 3D version is really necessary, and the audience also complained a lot about it. On Douban, some netizens complained about "Cold War 2","It's not sincere to make a police and gangster movie into 3D to make money" and "May I ask which 3D frame is in this movie?" "Macau Fengyun 3" also attracted Douban netizens to complain about "50 hair special effects", while some netizens also commented that "Ip Man 3""is not necessary in 3D."

Why are there still more and more theater movies in 3D format despite average special effects? Who is forcing the audience to watch the 3D version of the movie with no choice?

Filmmaker: Millions of dollars cost tens of millions of dollars in revenue, and why not convert "pseudo 3D"?

"The reason why many domestic films have average 3D effects is because many domestic 3D films are converted from 2D films to 3D 'pseudo 3D'", Yu Gang, a director who has a background in photography and special effects production, told reporters," Although 3D films shot through dual-machine machines have better effects, they are expensive. Therefore, including some imported Hollywood films, many movies have 2D versions converted into 3D through post-technology."

Some industry insiders told reporters that the transformation does not mean that the effect will be poor, but the effect will mainly be linked to the budget. "The conversion cost of overseas films is usually between US$2 million and US$10 million. The conversion of" Titanic "cost US$18 million, and the effect is also very good. Many domestic films only cost about 5 million yuan to convert, and the conversion effect is uneven." Yu Gang said in an interview.

The founder of a movie special effects company whose business includes conversion from 2D to 3D told reporters,"Currently, good 3D movies are all pre-dual-machine shooting and post-conversion. In the past few years, due to national subsidies and other reasons, there have indeed been a number of money-making movies that have only been converted from 2D to 3D without early 3D shooting and have poor effects. Now that technology has advanced, as long as there is sufficient time and investment, domestic movies can make good 3D effects. However, according to our understanding, the budget of 5 million RMB is already quite high for many domestic films that are converted from 2D to 3D."

The relatively low cost of conversion can bring more benefits to the film. "Ticket prices for 3D movies are high. For studios and cinemas, releasing the 3D version can bring more box office." Almost all industry insiders interviewed by reporters mentioned this point.

According to data from Art En think tank, the average ticket price of a 3D movie exceeds that of a 2D movie by about 5 yuan. For example, the average ticket price of "Mermaid"(3D, Giant Screen) in China is about 36.6 yuan, and the average ticket price of "Chills 2" in China is 36.4 yuan, while the average ticket price of "Old Gun", which is only released in 2D, is 31.5 yuan.

Take "Cold War 2" as an example, there have been more than 16.37 million movie viewers in China. If calculated according to the ticket price difference of 5 yuan, 3D conversion is equivalent to bringing more than 80 million yuan to the box office of "Cold War 2"; for a record-breaking movie with 92.42 million viewers such as "Mermaid," 3D conversion is equivalent to adding 460 million yuan to the total box office revenue.

Yu Gang told reporters, Film aspect to high income, More extreme situation is, Some films whether do 3D even director can not control, 2D shoot is taken by the distributor to do 3D_For often more than ten million people watching movies, Millions of investment may bring more than 100 million box office revenue, For the film side is a small risk business.

Cinema: High ticket prices lead to more revenue sharing. Of course,

the revenue from high ticket prices for 3D movies is not only shared by producers and distributors, but also by cinemas and cinemas. A number of cinema executives and cinema managers also told reporters that in the face of different versions of the film, cinemas also prefer 3D versions, mainly because higher ticket prices can bring more box office revenue.

According to the current domestic split ratio model, after deducting the 3.3% special business tax and 5% special funds for the film industry from the box office of a movie, the proportion of box office revenue retained by theaters and theaters of the remaining divisible ratio box office is 57%, while the proportion usually received by producers and distributors is 43%. Not only do cinemas and theaters earn more revenue from box office, but the cost of showing 3D in many theaters is actually very low.

A film 3D industry practitioner told reporters that for a single movie theater, the cost of adding 3D projection equipment is not high. If you choose low-priced domestic equipment, it only costs one to two thousand yuan, while ordinary 3D glasses only cost two to three yuan a pair. Some manufacturers even sell projection equipment and also include 3D glasses. Some manufacturers rent 3D projection equipment.

"For 3D projection equipment, a more expensive hall invests more than 100,000 yuan, and a better one, like a Dolby Hall, invests more than one million yuan. However, only good large theaters in China will invest. Many small and medium-sized theaters do not use expensive 3D projection equipment." The above-mentioned person told reporters.

Low costs can also easily affect the movie-watching experience. "In addition to the film source, 3D effects are also affected by many aspects including lighting, projection machines, brightness, etc. Especially in terms of brightness, the viewing effect of 3D movies will be greatly reduced due to insufficient brightness. The industry has requirements for the brightness of film screenings, but there is no agency in China to inspect them, so many small theaters don't care too much. This has led 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 filmmakers not to show the 2D version if there is a 3D version. "Nowadays, if a movie has 2D and 3D versions, many movie publishers can only choose between the same movie and will not give the 3D key for screening 2D." A Beijing theater manager told reporters,"Now most theaters have equipment to show 3D in all halls, and the ticket price for 3D is higher, so of course theaters will show 3D versions."

Although theaters also prefer to show 3D versions, the lack of special effects in many films also makes theater managers helpless. Many theater managers said in interviews that some viewers had reported that some films could hardly see any 3D effects, and one theater manager even complained to us,"Not only did the audience dislike it, but I also hate some 3D movies very much because these The special effects of the films are very poor and are basically pseudo-3D. However, the ticket prices of 3D are high, which can also increase box office revenue for us to achieve our business goals, so we will also show more 3D instead of 2D."

Dilemma: Piracy is rampant, and the film company has no choice but to make 3D

. In addition, the high box office brought by high ticket prices can make the film company and theaters more revenue. Another important reason that surprised the reporter is that the rampant piracy forced the film company to release it. Have to choose the 3D version.

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

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

Zhang Han is also a little helpless about the release of a 3D version of a drama like "Chills 2". "We also know that audiences may be disgusted with the feature films being made in 3D, and may even affect the reputation of the film. But compared to the situation where piracy is flying all over the world, it is still much better to release 3D."

In the view of some film companies, the problem of piracy has become rampant in China. On the first day of release of another popular film currently in theaters, various resources have been flying all over the Internet. In addition to the secretly filmed version, there are even previous rough cut versions. The film company did not even want reporters to point out the name of the movie: "Nowadays, basically every movie in China has a gun version as soon as it is released. Those who know that there is a gun version always know about it, but those who go to the cinema may never know about it. If it is reported that our movie has a gun version, there will actually be a risk for us to increase losses."

Staff from some film distribution companies also told reporters that there are indeed many films made in 3D to prevent piracy-after all, they can prevent piracy.

So, returning to the question of who was forcing the audience to watch the 3D version without choice, what we finally discovered was a very embarrassing reality-but also an indisputable fact: except for theaters, producers, and distributors who all wanted 3D. In addition to the high ticket prices and high profits, which have led to more 3D movies on the market today, the "audience" demand for piracy has also become an important reason why audiences have to watch fake 3D.

An unnecessary and poorly effective production link (3D conversion), a screening version that audiences complain about but have to endure, such a tight market choice also reflects the hidden problems behind the development of China's film market.

The decline in the growth rate of China's film market this year has surprised many people. For domestic films and cinemas, before their crazy box office dreams, continuing to disappoint, regret, and complain will only eventually drive the audience away from theaters. Those high box office in the early stage will eventually make the market see the consequences of exhaustion. For many "viewers" who curse domestic films and are accustomed to watching piracy, they also need to understand that the healthy development of the film industry is not just the responsibility of the company. Demand is the reason for supply. Audiences are also shaping this market and even Decide the future of this market.

This article is an original and exclusive manuscript of Yiyuguancha (WeChat ID: yiyuguancha). Please indicate the author and source for reprinting.

Editor: yvette