Is 3D Doomed to Gimmickhood?

Cory Doctorow thinks 3D is a format doomed to exist only in theaters:

Because Up has been out in Canada for so long, it's been moved out of the rare 3D auditorium and into a regular screening room. And it's just fine, even without the 3D. Not for one second did I think, "Oh, what I must be missing! If only I'd seen this in 3D!" Nothing was obviously missing from the 2D experience that made me feel like the 3D was a must-have.

And of course, that's true of all 3D movies. Movies, after all, rely on the aftermarket of satellite, broadcast and cable licenses, of home DVD releases and releases to airline entertainment systems and hotel room video-on-demand services – none of which are in 3D. If the movie couldn't be properly enjoyed in boring old 2D, the economics of filmmaking would collapse. So no filmmaker can afford to make a big-budget movie that is intended as a 3D-only experience, except as a vanity project.

What's more, no filmmaker can afford to make a small-budget 3D movie, either, because the cinema-owners who've shelled out big money to retrofit their auditoriums for 3D projection don't want to tie up their small supply of 3D screens with art-house movies. They especially don't want to do this when there's plenty of competition from giant-budget 3D movies that add in the 3D as an optional adjunct, a marketing gimmick that can be used to draw in a few more punters during the cinematic exhibition window.

I think he's dead wrong. While there isn't a way to watch 3D at home that has caught on, there are a number of technologies already out there and when enough 3D content is made, demand is bound to hit a tipping point that incentivises home video and display formats. You can enjoy any color movie in black and white. But how many black and white major motion pictures are made these days? It's a creative choice that's rarely made. 2D will be in the same place soon.

Right now, the studios love that theatrical is the place to see 3D. It increases ticket sales, and those tickets often cost more. That won't last forever. 3D is bound to filter down.

And, by the way, Up in 3D is the best 3D movie I've ever seen -- better than Coraline 3D. The use of 3D is subtle and poetic, supporting the story rather than calling attention to itself. Every filmmaker should study it -- including James Cameron.

UPDATE: Crooked Timber also sees economic flaws in Cory's argument

SEE ALSO: Long analysis of the state of 3D on DavidBordwell.net