Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has widest 3D Release to Date

Bookmark and Share

Wed, 09/23/2009 - 20:00 -- Nick Dager

In the widest theatrical 3D film release to date Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures Animation’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs earned an estimated $30.3 million in total box office and debuted at number one during its opening weekend. The box office generated in theatres with 3D screen accounted for more than half the revenue. “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a terrific film with innovative and creative 3D techniques. This is a tremendous victory for our colleagues at Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation and for our worldwide network of exhibitor partners ” says Michael V. Lewis CEO of RealD which claimed it had the largest share of 3D screens. “With over $16 million RealD 3D continued the trend of delivering the majority of box office gross for opening weekend proving once again that audiences everywhere prefer the 3D experience to any other.” 
 Gitesh Pandya on the website BoxOfficeGuru.com wrote that it was the fifth 3D film of the year to open at number one. According to Pandya the movie ran on 1 828 3D screens representing 59 percent of the total of 3 119 and said many of the multiplexes also devoted at least one screen to the 2D version for those moviegoers that didn't want to pay the higher ticket price for 3D. “The studio estimated that between $17.5 million and $18 million of the weekend gross came from the 3D screens ” Pandya wrote adding “Imax sites delivered $2.5 million.”