Marvel goes 3D

It may not be here to stay, but 3D is still going to be around for while – whether you absolutely love or hate the format.

It seems like every day there’s a new 3D film shot, or a movie converted to 3D, and it turns out that an American film has a hard time playing in China if it’s not in 3D. These days, the foreign market is crucial to a movie’s success.

So it’s no surprise to me to read that the next Iron Man and Thor movies are going to be in 3D. 3D certainly did wonders for the Avengers, it made quite a difference in its enormous box office take because 3D tickets are more expensive, and it also could have made a difference in The Dark Knight Rises, although it certainly made plenty of loot regardless.

As Entertainment Weekly and Collider confirm, Iron Man 3 is still slated for May 3, 2013, but it will now indeed be in 3D, and Thor: The Dark World in 3D is also still on schedule for November 8, 2013. This is what’s known as Marvel’s phase two movie line-up leading up to The Avengers 2 on May 1, 2015, along with Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, 2013, and Guardians of the Galaxy scheduled for August 1, 2014.

Those films aren’t slated for 3D so far, and neither is Ant-Man, which is officially hitting theaters on November 6, 2015. Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, Shaun of the Dead), will direct, and after much time in development, Ant-Man is indeed finally a go. There’s also been some speculation that Ant-Man could be a part of the next Avengers film, but of course we won’t know any of that for sure for a long time. 

While many of you out there may be sick to death of 3D, I don’t think Marvel in 3D’s such a bad idea. Besides the obvious money differences, Iron Man and other Marvel characters could continue to be a lot of fun in the rapidly evolving if it’s done right. Iron Man 3 is obviously going to be a conversion, unless it was planned to be in the format from day one and nobody told anybody, but the format is only the icing on the cake. Remember, if the movie doesn’t deliver all the3D in the world won’t save it.