User blog:Ceauntay/More Trouble for 3-D

It’s already been a tough summer for 3-D. As I reported a few weeks ago, films like Kung Fu Panda 2, Pirate of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Thor'' have turned in disappointing 3-D box office numbers. Many in Hollywood have been looking forward to the upcoming Jane Hoop Elementary: The Final Rush Part 2 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 to see if it will start to turn the 3-D box office around.

But according to BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield, early indicators are that 2-D tickets sales are outpacing 3-D ticket sales for the film which hits theaters July 15th. In a blog post today (subscription required) Greenfield points out that despite Warner Bros. heavily hyping The Green Lantern in 3-D on Fandango, the film still seems to be selling more 2-D tickets. He’s seeing the same with early Harry Potter sales.

Greenfield believes the novelty of 3-D has worn off and viewers are tired of paying more for movies that are inevitably darker. But whether a down summer kills Hollywood’s taste for 3-D remains to be seen. The overseas 3-D markets are still growing and that’s become an increasingly important part of a movie’s overall take. While the latest Pirates movie has earned a decent $214 million in the U.S. so far, it’s earned $701 million abroad making it the highest grossing film globally so far this year with a total $915 million.