Within the last decade, there has been a huge push to adding or making movies in 3D. The success of films like James Cameron's Avatar has ensured that studios are continuing to pour money into 3D filmmaking and 3D conversion.

But is it still a strong visual effect that audiences will pay more to enjoy at the movie theaters? To answer that question, let's take a look at how 3D films came about and where they stand today.

The History of 3D

The very first screening of a 3D film was in 1922, when The Power of Life premiered at the Ambassador Hotel Theater in Los Angeles. But 3D would not become a success until the 1950s, thanks to the introduction of Polaroid filters on 3D glasses. Movies like House of Wax and Robot Monster were able to draw in audiences for the quality of their three-dimensional photography. The trend was added to other top-selling movies of the era, including Creature from the Black Lagoon and Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder.

However, at the time, the process for screening a 3D film was far more complicated, resulting in an overworked projector team and eyestrain for the audience. After 1954, 3D releases quickly dried up, although stereoscopic film would still be prevalent.

After the mid-1980s, the rise of IMAX theaters allowed for experimentation with bringing back 3D filmmaking. Changes in editing and display technology allowed for a higher quality in 3D effects, which would result in directors like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron working on films to make full use of 3D. The success of modern movies like The Polar Express and Avatar meant 3D was a viable filmmaking strategy and a box office draw. The resurgence proved strong enough that even TV providers have started to bring in 3D displays.

3D Entertainment Today

While film studios are still giving 3D techniques their full support, audiences are finding it less appealing. Most moviegoers are required to pay a higher ticket price for a 3D release of a movie, especially when it can be seen at a normal price in 2D. There have also been complaints about the lower lighting in 3D films, as well as physical issues like nausea and headaches.

The MPAA notes that, in 2012, while revenue from movie releases went up, the actual revenue from 3D film releases dropped, showing a market preference for traditional 2D films. Some film industry experts like Jeffrey Katzenberg have claimed that this is due to the spread of low-quality films converted into 3D over original high-quality projects like Avatar. Film critic Mark Kermode has also pointed out the trend among movie theaters to screen more 3D versions of a film than 2D versions, thus defeating their own profit model by turning away moviegoers who prefer the 2D format.

At the moment, we're still seeing plenty of 3D films, particularly for summer blockbusters and other big-name releases. It remains to be seen whether studios can make the 3D format workable or if audience apathy will eventually force this trend to quietly disappear again.

Image by Cris Lata on Flickr