Does 3D cinema still have a shot? Despite the decline of ticket sales, James Cameron spent close to half a bn USD and over a decade of time in the 3D sphere with the newly released Avatar: The Way of Water. The long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time (with nearly USD 3 bn in box office revenue) was initially scheduled for a 2014 release, but took an additional eight years to finish due to Cameron getting sidetracked with writing four sequels at the same time and a VR Disney Park ride among other unwieldy ventures. However, the massive blockbuster — which needs USD 2 bn in ticket sales to make a return on investment — re-ignited heated discussions on whether it can help resuscitate the ailing format.

The original Avatar changed the landscape of 3D cinema: Cameron — high off the successes of The Terminator and Titanic — spent four years and between ​​USD 280 to 310 mn working with experts to develop the new technologies that made the film’s immersive, photorealistic environment possible. Reeling in USD 760 mn domestically and over USD 2 bn internationally, cinema goers flocked to experience the lush, adventure-packed world of Pandora leading the sci-fi blockbuster to screen in some theaters for 234 days.

But the uptrend quickly fizzled: While the success of Avatar opened the door for a torrent of 3D movies in the early 2010s, few possessed Cameron’s ambitious and expensive vision for tech-fueled art. Some argue only a portion of 3D films, such as Martin Scorsese’s Hugo and Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, managed to gracefully wield the technology. While 3D was ingrained in the fabric of Cameron’s films — with every shot crafted to best suit the 3D format — it came mostly as an afterthought to the film’s successors, opting to convert pre-existing 2D movies to 3D in post-production. Audiences quickly realized they were paying extra ticket prices for an inferior and sometimes headache-inducing experience and ticket sales dipped by the mid-2010s. As demand dwindled, so did the number of 3D releases and the appetite of movie studios.

It’s been a roller coaster ride to get here: The first 3D movie, The Power of Love, was released in 1922 using rudimentary technology to create an illusion of depth. The film was recorded and projected in two separate red-and-green images, superimposed and viewed by the audience with glasses tinted in the same colors. Decades of experimentation followed, but the format failed to pick up steam due to its high production costs. 3D film saw a brief resurgence in the 1950s as studio executives pushed out big productions like Bwana Devil, which sent the 3D market into a frenzy. The medium gained traction once again in the 1980s with the rise of IMAX 3D and theme parks churning out 3D attractions based on popular movies, such as Muppet*Vision 3-D, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, and T-2 3D: Battle Across Time.

So, could the Avatar franchise be 3D’s savior? The Way of Water has already generated the largest share of 3D ticket sales since 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Deadline reports, adding that 79% of more than 4k surveyed ticket buyers would like to see more movies in 3D. The film grossed USD 434.5 mn globally on its opening weekend, netting the third highest weekend sales achieved by a movie in the post-pandemic era. While the sales came in slightly under the USD 450 mn it was expected to cross going into its first weekend, ticket sales are expected to see an upswing over the holiday period with the underperformance partly due to China’s covid lockdowns. Avatar: The Way of Water has so far grossed around USD 1 bn in ticket sales.

And is Egypt gearing up for a foray into 3D cinema? Youm 13 — the first 3D movie in the history of Egyptian and Middle Eastern cinema — is set to hit theaters on New Year’s Day. Written, directed, and produced by Wael Abdullah, the horror film features a star-studded cast including Ahmed Dawood, Dina El-Sherbiny, and Sherif Mounir. Filming ended over two years ago, but the release was delayed by the time it took the filmmakers to finalize the graphics and visual effects.