3D电影举步维艰

　　Flat expectations

　　预期值过高

　　3D films, cinema’s great hope, have become niche products

　　电影公司最大的希望——3D电影——让人失望了

　　Voldemort looks no prettier in 3D

　　3D版伏地魔并没有更好看

　　TEN years after it took off, Hollywood’s biggest film franchise has finally alighted from its broomstick. Between July 15th and July 17th Americans shelled out $169m to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”—a record for any film, in nominal terms. But barely a third of the audience opted to watch the boy wizard battle his snake-faced foe in three dimensions.

　　十年前首映的好莱坞最大电影系列《哈利波特》，今日终于走向尾声。7月15至7月17日，《哈利波特与死亡圣器 第二部分》从美国人的口袋中掏走了1.69亿美元——这是任何影院都无法企及的记录。但只有仅仅三分之一的观众选择3D版。

　　Two years ago it seemed as though a new, improved 3D projection system could rescue a film business battered by falling DVD sales. Fully 71% of the box-office spending on “Avatar” on its opening weekend, in December 2009, went on the 3D version. The 3D showings of “Shrek Forever After” (amusing green monsters rather than earnest blue ones) accounted for 61% of American box-office spending. Cinemas generally charge at least $3 more for a 3D showing—far more than the glasses cost.

　　两年前3D模式看似可以挽救一个被（销量日益下滑的）DVD打得伤痕累累的电影行业。2009年12月，《阿凡达》上映一周就有整整71%的票房来自3D影院。《怪物史瑞克》（滑稽的绿色怪物取代了严肃的蓝色怪物）的美国票房有61%来自3D影院。一般来说，电影公司会向3D影院的观众多收取至少3美元——那副眼镜远远值不了这个价。

　　This lucrative business is now looking flat. Despite rapid growth in digital projectors and 3D-capable screens, the proportion of total box-office spending that goes on 3D has dropped this summer (see chart). Four of the past five 3D blockbusters—“Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Kung Fu Panda 2”, “Green Lantern” and “Harry Potter”—made more money from 2D screens on their opening weekend than from 3D ones. That was true of only one widely released 3D film last summer, and none the year before.

　　这个获利丰厚的行业现在看起来似乎不大乐观。且不说数码投影仪以及3D功能屏幕的发展迅速，今夏3D电影的总票房比例也下降了。刚刚热映的五部3D巨片——《加勒比海盗》、《功夫熊猫》、《绿灯侠》以及《哈利波特》——上映第一个星期赚的票房更多来自2D影院，而非3D影院。去年夏天热映的唯一一部3D电影的时候，情形也是这样，前年就不会这么冷淡。

　　Richard Gelfond, the boss of IMAX, reckons customers have become picky. “People used to see something just because it was in 3D,” he says. Now they ask how much pleasure the glasses will add. The explosive “Transformers 3” did well in 3D; perhaps the 2D version was not sufficiently headache-inducing. The key to three-dimensional profits, then, is to put out hugely popular films with extraordinary special effects.

　　IMAX的老总Richard Gelfond认为消费者变得越来越精明了。“过去人们因为3D而选择3D。”他说道。现在人们会质疑这副眼镜能带来多大的愉悦感。巨作《变形金刚3》3D版很卖座，也许是2D版的画面不够震撼。这样说来，要让3D版盈利的关键，就是在那些备受欢迎的影片里加入更多特效。