2011 Box Office Down

New York Times: “LOS ANGELES — With five days left in 2011, ticket sales in North America are running about $500 million behind last year — despite higher prices — prompting a round of soul searching by studios trying to determine what went wrong and how best to proceed.”

The article goes on to say higher 3D ticket sales propped up the box office, but I definitely don’t agree. I prefer 2D to 3D any day of the week. 3D is a gimmick, nothing more. It doesn’t do anything to enhance the experience unless you’re interested in seeing something hurled at you. It doesn’t make the story better and the film is darker. Who wants to see a film with poor lighting? I certainly don’t.

I hope movie studios focus their effort on better stories in 2012. I don’t need “Sharks 3D.” I’m looking forward to The Hobbit, Batman, and Prometheus. I really hope all of them give us a 2D option. Heck, I’m more interested in seeing a film shot at 48fps than ever seeing another 3D movie.