Latest in 3D

EXCLUSIVE: Disappointment was written all over the face of filmmaker Ang Lee last week as he walked through a Los Angeles restaurant peering into the dimly lit corners in search of his waiting audience. The audience, in this case, was an interviewer eager talk to the three-time Oscar winner about his latest project, Ge…

Wanda Cinema Line Corporation, which has been in business with 3D licensor RealD since 2010, has just committed to equipping 5,600 screens throughout China with RealD’s projection technology. As part of the pact, Wanda will install no less than 4,000 new RealD 3D projection systems during the next four years in their…

What scared away all but one of the potential bidders in RealD? That’s still unclear, although a new SEC filing from the 3D technology company cites others’ concerns about “perceived risks around consumer appetite for 3D films,” as well as fears that theaters might not renew their deals to license RealD…

The struggling 3D technology company hung up a “for sale” sign late today, helping to send its share price up 8.8% in postmarket trading. RealD asked financial advisers Moelis & Co to seek “strategic alternatives,” which typically means a merger or sale. There’s no timetable on the process, and the board “does not…

The year will have 28 films in 3D — down from 34 last year and a peak of 39 in 2011 — which is one reason why Morgan Stanley’s Benjamin Swinburne says today that he expects this year’s domestic ticket sales to fall as much as 2%. Another reason: The analyst predicts that audience interest in 3D will continue to cool…

There’s nothing wrong with 3D movies that can’t be fixed if directors pay more attention to details in the productions, studios do more to promote them, and theaters offer them on additional screens. At least that’s the way RealD CFO Drew Skarupa described things in his appearance today at the MKM Partners Investor…

UPDATE, 1:15 PM: RealD shares closed -8.9% at $6.89, a new all-time low. PREVIOUS, 12:10 PM: The 3D services and technology company is still in Wall Street’s dog house: Its stock is off more than 8% in mid-afternoon trading — and touched a new all-time low of $6.91 — after it reported that moviegoers spent about $165M…

The Technicolor classic will have its IMAX 3D world premiere on September 15 at Hollywood’s historic Chinese Theatre, the same movie house it first debuted in 75 years ago. The special screening will mark the reopening of the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, which boasts the largest number of seats in an IMAX auditorium in…

EXCLUSIVE: While the carnivorous corpse attention at Comic-Con is on today’s The Walking Dead panel, here’s something else for zombie lovers to chew on. It involves George Romero, who is to zombies what Stan Lee is to superheroes. Richard P. Rubenstein, who produced Dawn of the Dead and owns the rights to Romero’s…

Here’s more sign of trouble for the 3D movie business. The stock price for the 3D technology company dropped about 12% in initial trading this morning after it reported that films on its screens generated $291M at global box offices in June, with 54% from U.S. venues. That’s a much lower number than analysts expected…

RealD ended up with a net loss, but the stock price is +5.2% after hours after the 3D technology company surprised the Street with help from its overseas expansion efforts. In the quarter that ended in March, RealD had a net loss of $4.4M, down from a $5.5M profit in the period last year, on revenues of $45.4M, -9.2%…

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s Tim Reed made the observation this morning at the most refreshingly frank panel about the problems theaters face that I’ve seen so far at the industry event. He says that execs have “done a horrible job building a fan base for the movie business over the last two decades.” That’s a problem…