• by Wayne Friedman , June 24, 2008

New 3-D technology has given movie theater owners hope for big revenue growth--and consumers are eager to buy in. At the same time, many consumers have a low awareness level of the current 3-D movies in theaters.

In a study analyzing 4,000 theaters with at least one screen showing a 3-D movie, the Nielsen Co. observed a 65% increase in revenues versus the revenues gained from a traditional two-dimensional movie.

Better results occurred when a movie theater complex had more than one 3-D movie--with sales climbing 100%, versus estimates. Nielsen believes this later result means that just one 3-D screen per movie theater is not enough to satisfy consumer demand.

All this is occurring while almost half of the moviegoing consumers are unaware that their movie theaters run 3-D films. Some 48% of consumers are unaware of which 3-D films are running.