Quantel Release Global 3D Snapshot

Jul 07, 2011 No Comments by Jonathan Tustain

Professional broadcast solutions company Quantel have released a snapshot of the international S3D markets using compiled data from various sources.

According to the graphic there are now 25,000 3D screens worldwide with the biggest proportion of those screens located in the EU at over 12,000. Indian 3D cinema screens are growing rapidly in numbers and it is expected that one third of India's 1050 screens will be 3D enabled by the end of 2011.

Most interesting is the appetite for 3D in Latin America. According to Quantel’s snapshot, 50% of box office revenues come from 3D sales and yet just 7% of the screens in this territory are 3D. However, Quantel have taken the information from a report dated September 2010 so it will be interesting to gather more recent figures. Finally, the top international films released in Japan of all time have all been 3D, those being Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3 and Up. Again, these were all released before 2011 when no one would disagree that 3D was experiencing a boom..

Information was gathered from Creatives at Work, Screen Digest, Business Standard, Film Journal International and Motion Picture Producers of Japan.

Although one can dissect these figures differently, the snapshot from Quantel does highlight the importance of thinking internationally when it comes to 3D. It is increasingly evident that each country/territory has a different appetite to 3D films and television. Media measurement firm Rentrak recently published figures that suggest markets outside of America are more embracing of 3D than the home of Hollywood.

For example, for Transformers: Dark of the Moon,60% of the American box office has been generated by 3D showings so far compared to 70% of the international box office. Several other Rentrak comparisons indicate Europe is the place where movie studios can expect to persuade more people to pay the 3D ticket premium.

While 3D is experiencing a shaky time, the 3D industry needs to remember the global markets, especially India, Brazil and China, which will be the real growth areas for 3D entertainment and applications. With 3D display technology fast spreading across the globe, perhaps the industry in the West can afford declining 3D audiences in the home territories (at least to a point). What do you think?