Not many months go by, it seems, without some film writer making the case against 3-D. Roger Ebert, the country’s most famous critic, has done so more than once. But not only do new 3-D movies keep coming, but more and more older movies are getting the 3-D treatment.
Universal Pictures just announced “Jurassic Park” will be re-released in 3-D in 2013. That’s the latest confirmation of rumors about “classic” films being given another dimension. But you won’t have to wait until next summer to see something old in the new technology: On April 4, “Titanic” will return to theaters in 3-D.
Just last month, the first of the “Star Wars” films — in order of the series’ internal chronology, not order of production — came to cinemas in 3-D. “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” is now the top-grossing film in the series, though it’s certainly not the fan favorite.
And that tells you why Hollywood is bringing so much old material back to theaters.
The weekend it opened in February, “Phantom Menace” only came in fourth place. But that’s not bad for a 13-year-old film that was the worst-reviewed in the saga. In one weekend, it added $22.5 million to its take, which had stood at just over $431 million.
Sure, it costs money to turn a 2-D film into a 3-D one. But many new films with a lot of buzz behind them don’t have opening weekends with those kinds of takes.
The re-release of “Jurassic Park” should put the 1993 film’s box office take worldwide, which right now stands at $915 million, over $1 billion. It would be Steven Spielberg’s first film to make that much.
Money, of course, isn’t the reason given by those involved with the films when asked why they’re re-releasing them in 3-D.
“There’s a whole generation that’s never seen ‘Titanic’ as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen,” James Cameron has said. “With the emotional power intact and the images more powerful than ever, this will be an epic experience for fans and newcomers alike.”
Star Kate Winslet echoed that rationalization. “A whole new generation gets to experience the film. It’s very exciting that I can actually sit with them together and we can all watch it in a movie theater. That is going to be quite amazing, actually,” she recently noted.
“Titanic” first came out in 1997 — and besides its then-record box office, it earned a record 11 Oscar nominations. This year was chosen for the re-release, executives explained, because it’s the 100th anniversary of the date, April 10, the ship set sail. It’s also the 100th anniversary of Paramount Pictures, one of the studios behind the film.
George Lucas gives the same reason for bringing “Star Wars” back. The movies will come to theaters in 3-D, one at a time, each year for the next half-decade. ” ‘Star Wars’ is one of those films — old films — that was designed for the big screen,” he has said. “It makes a big difference to see it on the big screen with the overwhelming sound, the picture, and now 3-D. We’ve had two generations be able to see it on the big screen and it was great. Now kids who have never seen it on the big screen, who have no idea how powerful it was — because all they had was DVD — have that chance.”
Funny that he suggests that watching the movie at home is a less-than-stellar experience: The 3-D “Phantom Menace” is expected to get a Blu-ray release as soon as this spring.
Kelly Jane Torrance is The Washington Examiner movie critic. Her reviews appear weekly and she can be reached at [email protected]
