Warnes Bros. cancels 3D Harry Potter film

Warner Bros. cancels 3D Harry Potter film

Warner Bros. announced on Friday that it is cancelling its release of the 3D version of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I”, citing time constraints.

Instead, the studio will now release the film only in 2D, and not both in 2D and 3D as originally planned.

“Despite everyone’s best efforts, we were unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality,” Warner Bros. said in a statement. “We do not want to disappoint fans who have long anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey.”

James Cameron’s 3D film “Avatar” spurred the Hollywood frenzy to create 3D films to meet anticipated demand and box-office earnings from moviegoers.

But it also created a debate in Hollywood over the best way to make 3D movies in order to meet audience expectations.

Earlier this year, 3D experts in the industry such as Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, slammed Warner Bros. for a supposedly poor 3D conversion of its “Clash of the Titans” film, which fared well in the box-office anyway.

The critics said that poorly-executed 3D releases like “Clash of the Titans” would turn off movie audiences away from the pioneering format.

But the box-office success of this summer’s 2D movies proves that films need not be in 3D to be commercially successful.

The latest “Twilight” film released in traditional 2D format has already grossed over $700 million globally, while Director Christopher Nolan’s 2D thriller “Inception” was both critically-acclaimed and a box-office smash. Nolan considered releasing the film in 3D but decided against doing so after doing some tests.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Saturday October 09 2010, 8:57 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0