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Initial Thoughts on IMAX Showing Less 3D Films and More 2D Films [VIDEO EDITORIAL]

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So, the big news that hit the weekend I was flying home from Germany is that IMAX may be showing 2D versions of movies going forward rather than 3D movies.  It's too early to say just how serious they are about the topic, but that may explain why some animated movies have not had 3D screenings in IMAX as of late.  We know they will at least be skipping the 3D version of "Blade Runner 2049" when that is released.  I do have LOTS to say about this obviously and I want to do proper editorials!  But in the interest of staying up-to-date with the story quickly, I put my initial thoughts in the video below.  For those who are more into reading than listening - first of all, bless you - I will be writing extensively on this topic from a variety of different angles in the coming days, so stay tuned and let your friends know what we are doing!  In the meantime, here are some thoughts in video form:

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"Despicable Me" BluRay Shows Studios Don't Have to Press Extra Disks for 3D [VIDEO EDITORIAL]

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CONFIRMED: "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" NOT Coming to BluRay 3D...In America!

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The bad news is, Lionsgate has confirmed that, no, there is currently no BluRay 3D release of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" planned for American release this October.  Regular BluRay and 4K UltraHD releases are still planned.  No reason was given.  A release is planned for the UK however, and the vast majority of those releases tend to work on American players.  That is not a promise, just an observation.  DigitalBits, High def Digest, and IGN have all confirmed this information.  Personally, I think we're still getting one, because I can't see James Cameron letting this slide, but for the time being this is where the situation stands.  Sorry I don't have better news on the matter.

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Is "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" Coming to BluRay 3D?


"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" is returning to theaters in August with a new 3D version!  Likewise, it should come as no surprise that it is getting a BluRay 3D release somewhere down the line, right?  Well, there appears to be some confusion over the matter, and while I can't confirm or deny anything, I can at least say in my opinion, if you want to get 'Terminator 2' in 3D, chances are you won't have any difficulty doing so.  Several sites like High def Digest and IGN reported today that the movie will see release in October.  In the press release a 3D version is clearly announced.  What concerns people is that the announcement was largely about a limited edition 4K release of the movie, and only the UK has the movie up for pre-order.  Let's address this one at a time.  First, of course the 4K version is going to be highlighted in any press release.  It's the new toy in town and the Hollywood studios want to push it so that it is widely adopted.  I think any new format is going to have to wait a little while for mass adoption these days, but studios are more impatient, which is why you are seeing more talk of it.

Secondly, it makes sense the UK would have a pre-order option and not the US.  While it used to be a given that we here in the states would be blessed with 3D releases, its not so much anymore, and the last thing any webstore wants to deal with is dedicating time in their customer service department from angry customers asking about why their pre-order of this disk was cancelled.  They would rather just know for sure before putting it up.  Third, this is Lionsgate and James freaking Cameron.  The man LOVES 3D!  He loves it so much he's converting his old films in the format and working on making "Avatar 2" a 'glasses free' experience.  Heck, the whole POINT of the re-release is to show it off in 3D!  Do you honestly think we WON'T get a BluRay 3D in the states?!  On the off chance we don't, we know he won't region lock the UK disk because he hates that.  Cameron has a LOT of clout when it comes to releasing his movies, and he WANTED to converted 'Terminator 2' to 3D!  Trust me folks: We'll get a BluRay 3D release of this in the states.  If not, we know we have a back up plan.

This is one I personally wouldn't lose too much sleep over though, because it feels like an inevitability it will happen, not something we have to wonder if it will happen.

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"Doctor Strange" BluRay 3D Has Been DISCONTINUED!!!

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This is a weird story for me to report on because as I type it out, I can not for the life of me figure out what this means or why it happened.  I didn't want to believe it.  I didn't want to think it was true.  But apparently the BluRay 3D version of "Doctor Strange" us now out-of-print and the only way you are likely to find it is on eBay (or sites similar to that).  The prices aren't exactly cheap at the moment either.  And before anyone asks: Yes, this includes the imported disks as well.  Why is this the case?  Heck if I know.  I don't know what Disney's logic is anymore when it comes to this format.  I searched for "Captain America: Civil War," "Moana," "Zootopia," "The Jungle Book," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and those all appear to still be in production with new copies shipping out.  What makes "Doctor Strange" a particularly troubling discontinuation is that the movie isn't very old.  In fact, the most has only been out on home video for less than six months.

That isn't a very long time to give people a chance to buy something.  This does make me wonder if this is the future of BluRay 3D for Disney: Release a limited quantity early on and then discontinue the product shortly afterwards.  I mean, on one hand, I guess I'll take something over nothing.  At this point I pretty much have to.  But I find the practice disturbing none-the-less because if this is what is going on and word gets out, this is going to be a blood bath as scalpers rush into the stores to buy up as much inventory as they can with the intention to sell at an inflated price later.  A surge in sales won't insure a second pressing either.  I think Disney is pretty much done with the format and are only releasing disks because Marvel has told them to.  I'll keep you up to date to see if this is a one off situation or a sign of things to come.  In the meantime, if you see this on a store shelf, don't hesitate to buy it; it may be the only chance you'll have at this point.


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Will 'Captain Underpants' Prance onto BluRay 3D?

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High def Digest has reported that "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" (and one of the few genuinely good surprises of the year) is available to pre-order on BluRay and UltraHD.  Box art has been reveled for both editions.  No release date has been set, but we know those are coming.  Missing from the article is any word of a BluRay 3D release.  That should make Captain Underpants shout "tra-la-NO!"  I've made very clear on this blog that DreamWorks Animation produces the best looking 3D visuals in all the movies that are released!  They build their movies for 3D, around 3D, with the intention to see them in 3D.  Now, this doesn't mean that we won't get it.  BluRay.com has a listing for the movie and it has the same information as it does with the other two releases (minus the cover art, of course).  I must say, the situation with DreamWorks is getting to be a bit confusing at this point.  "Trolls" missed out on a 3D release but "The Boss Baby" is getting one.

The first two movies were decent box office hits while 'Captain Underpants' was a mild one.  All three were distributed by 20th Century Fox...I don't know, I can't find a pattern.  I have no idea what is going on here.  Granted, the press releases doesn't state we WON'T be getting a BluRay 3D release of the film, but why make the announcement, share box cover information, and then not bring it up?!  The signs are not looking good on this one.  We'll keep you up to date, but after being the first DreamWorks movie to have outsourced animation, it looks like the movie will get shortchanged on getting premium treatment once again. 

Tra-la-fail...

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Universal Springs Last-Minute IMAX Release of "Despicable Me 3" on Audiences This Weekend (No 3D...of Course)

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IMAX is getting more and more confusing with their animated releases.  We've known for a long time that the company is not focusing on family movies for the past few years.  This isn't exactly news.  However, the company seemed to warm back up to the idea of releasing animated movies in the states again after "Frozen," "Big Hero 6," "Tangled," "Inside Out," or, basically, any of the Disney movies did well in the format overseas.  That said, their embracing of family movies again has been rather...weak, to say the least.  "Inside Out" was more or less ignored by most theaters in favor of "Jurassic World."  "How to Train Your Dragon 2" and "The Secret Life of Pets" were released in the theaters at the last minute and had their IMAX releases announced on their Twitter page (in both cases just a couple days before the release of the actual movie).

Then - to pretty much everyone's surprise - we got "The LEGO Batman Movie" and "Cars 3" in IMAX 2D but NOT IMAX 3D (save for that one theater in Rhode Island...that one got 'LEGO Batman' in IMAX 3D)!  Now, I find out that "Despicable Me 3" got an IMAX release this weekend.  Yeah, I know, I hadn't heard about it either.  This must have LITTERALLY been a last minute thing, because IMAX screens weren't even showing any previews on Thursday!  At first I was upset because I would have loved to be given the chance to watch the movie in IMAX 3D.  Then I realized the movie wasn't being projected in 3D.  At all.  Anger subsided, whipped out my Surface to write the blog post, and then realized the movie got a lukewarm review from me in the first place (which brought into question why I felt this was a big loss in the first place).  It does make me wonder what is up with IMAX though?

Why are all these animated movies getting last-minute releases and (more recently) without their 3D counterparts (even when a perfectly serviceable one is available)?  Well...you're going to have to come back on Wednesday.  I know, that's a bad place to end.  I really did have a suspicion typed out.  However, once I finished the original draft of this post, I realized I had written a long editorial about the state of IMAX and their relationship to animated films (most of which had very little to do with Ilumination's latest helping of the movie equivalent of Jell-O Pudding).  So I've cut that, I'm going to sharpen the argument, send it to IMAX for comment (doubt they will), and we'll discuss what IMAX's problem with animation is later this week.  But, for whatever it's worth, "Despicable Me 3" is in IMAX.  It doesn't appear to be on any of the giant screens and the 3D is completely gone, but if you want the small version of the butchered film you have the option.