3D ticket prices may have dented SHREK 4′s opening weekend

Paramount must be blushing with embarrassment right now. Shrek Forever After recently debuted in the US, pulling a $70m opening weekend (by no means to be sneezed at); 61% of that gross came from 3D and Imax 3D screenings. It appears about half of the audience chose to see Shrek 4 in 2D; why fork out more cash when it’s just Shrek 4 and not a “big deal” film like Avatar? Paramount was expecting a somewhat bigger haul, especially when factoring in the exorbitant 3D prices.

59% fewer people rocked up to Shrek 4 than did Shrek 3 in their respective opening weekends. 3D or no, consumers know the Shrek franchise is an ailing one, and won’t drop $20 on it when they know they could spend a few bucks less for the same movie without the glasses. Lesson learned for Paramount — and all other distributors of 3D movies — 3D is not a selling point: the movie itself is.

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