3D movies just got a whole lot brighter. Real D, a leading licensor of 3D technologies, unveiled its new Precision White Screen technology at CinemaCon on Wednesday in a bid to improve the 3D viewing experience.
RealD CEO and Chairman Michael Lewis deemed it the next step in the premium cinema experience, saying it brings “40 percent more total light than silver.”
Also read: 3D Still A Hit With Foreign Audiences, But Domestically It's a Different Story
When Hollywood first turned to 3D to help improve attendance and charge higher ticket prices, er, to offer customers a better movie experience, many directors, customers and critics complained about how dark 3D films looked. The 3D process altered the brightness of the image.
The late, great Roger Ebert wrote about this dilemma in Newsweek while “The Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan said he would not shoot in 3D because he found “the dimness of the image extremely alienating.”
Though Lewis did not touch explicitly on these complaints, his emphasis on brightness was clearly intended to combat any objections.
CinemaCon speakers have been talking up 3D to theater owners, arguing that it would not fade away as it has in the past. Hollywood has toyed with the format since its inception, but it has often faded in and out of favor.
While the format's future domestically is uncertain, it has provided a huge boost overseas, where blossoming markets like China are focusing on building 3D theaters.
Carmike Cinemas CEO David Passman said earlier on Wednesday that it was here to stay.
“At least I hope it is,” he said. “It’s not only incremental revenue but it’s a value proposition. I’m a big believer in it.”