If you walk into a theater, chances are the vast majority of its screening rooms do not have the capability to air a 3D movie, but if that theater happens to be owned by Regal Entertainment Group, that may soon change.
The nationwide movie theater chain announced that it plans to double the number of screens in its theaters that can play 3D movies. That means instead of having 1,500 3D screens across the entire chain, there will now be 3,000.
So don’t try to tell them that 3D is just a fad and losing popularity.
Don’t tell RealD either. That’s the company that installs 3D screens for every major movie theater operator in the country, and the one set to gain the most out of Regal’s decision.
This means that 40% of Regal’s screens will now be 3D-enabled.
“We continue to see high demand from moviegoers for RealD’s premium 3D viewing experience,” said Regal Entertainment Group CEO Amy Miles. “Doubling our agreement for RealD 3D-enabled screens will allow us to play multiple 3D films at the same time and assure moviegoers the option of seeing films in a premium 3D format.”
Currently, some theaters are forced to phase out movies faster than they’d like, even if they’re still profitable, to make room for new 3D movies. There just aren’t enough screens for most of them to let three or four 3D movies be playing at the same time.
Also, most theaters offer generally the same amount of viewing times for the 2D and 3D versions of the same movie. We have to wonder if Regal’s plan here includes decreasing 2D showings of a 3D movie, thus ensuring more customers will pay that premium.
