Last week I brought you the news that Sony had decided they weren’t going to pay for your 3D glasses anymore, which was news to most of us who thought that the extra money we were paying for 3D movies was at least in part going to those glasses in the first place.
But not so, the studios bear that cost, but Sony wants to now pass on that responsibility to theaters and subsequently consumers. Needless to say, it’s ruffled a few feathers, and the National Association of Theater Owners has put out a statement condemning the decision.
“Sony’s suggestion is insensitive to our patrons, particularly in the midst of continuing economic distress” and says that that the studios providing 3D glasses was “established as part of the 3D experience.”
But Sony is fighting back, issuing their own counter-statement to the NATO.
“There are constructive ways to deal with the cost of 3D glasses that will not adversely impact consumers, and can also help the environment. NATO’s statement that it has been “understood” that distributors would always bear the cost of 3D glasses is incorrect, because there never has been any such agreement.
In fact, we have been speaking with people in the industry for a long time about the need to move to a new model, so this certainly comes as a surprise to no one in the business.
We invite theater owners to engage in a collegial dialogue with us about this issue, including at ShowEast next month. By working together on a business-to-business basis, we are confident a reasonable solution can be reached that brings benefits to consumers, the entertainment industry and the environment.”
Sony just isn’t going to win the PR war here, even if they’re technically correct. They may talk about splitting the cost with theaters, but if ANY of the cost gets passed on to the consumer, it might just be what it takes to be the deathblow for 3D, an already struggling format due to how overpriced it is.