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

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

May 25

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.