LAS VEGAS — Porn producers are having mixed emotions when it comes to 3D porn.
A report on Philly.com quotes some of adult’s top executives at the recent AEE show as being less than enthusiastic about releasing 3D movies than they were in the past, and in some cases actually scaling back original plans.
Vivid Entertainment, according to the report, changed its mind about releasing “Star Wars XXX: A Porn Parody” in 3D because shooting the movie’s 500-plus special effects would have been too costly. Company co-founder Steven Hirsch said shooting the film, "ultimately didn't make sense financially."
Pink Visual President Allison Vivas also expressed some concerns about 3D productions, and maintained that the family living room — where a 3D enabled TV would likely reside — would probably not be favorable for porn viewing.
Vivas also believes that 3D is better suited for horror and action films and that "the things that can come at you" (in 3-D porn) "are the things that a male viewer does not want coming at them."
Vivas told XBIZ, "I think that in order for 3D porn to really take off, the viewing experience has to evolve into something more convenient and more private than putting a 3D Blu-ray in the player and kicking back in front of the 3D TV in your living room while wearing goggles.
"One of the lessons we can take from rapid growth of the mobile market is that consumers really value easy access. When we reach a point that there is widespread consumer adoption of mobile and tablet devices that handle 3D seamlessly, and without the need for glasses or other peripheral devices, I think that's when 3D porn will take off."
But some companies are still excited, albeit with some other caveats.
Hustler President Michael Klein said in his keynote address that 3D is strong — in Europe — and the company will be making 3D versions of all of its new movies.
Klein told XBIZ, "The jury is still out on how well 3D will perform but they are constantly coming out with new innovative 3D TVs that will eventually lead to lower pricing and presumably glasses free 3D viewing. We are seeing in Europe a bigger surge in purchases of 3D Blu Ray discs and the desire for 3D for cable and satellite and I think that the US will grow in terms of 3D capable homes as the technology improves. It is for that reason that we shoot 3D versions of all our movies along with a SD and HD version."
Banking on more strong sales for its 3D products, citing the success of its 3D Blu-ray film, “Jailhouse Heat,” Digital Playground remains positive. The film’s trailer was available on YouTube using the common analglyph red-and-blue glasses.
And according to company co-founder Ali Joone, although viewers need a full-fledged 3-D TV/Blu-Ray setup with active shutter or polarized glasses to enjoy the film, it rose to the top of the sales charts fueling 3D enthusiasm.
Contrary to the more somber side of the report, some less recognizable porn companies remain on the 3D bandwagon.
Extreme Comixxx released “Super Heroine 3D” just last month, major gay producer DominicFord has been producing 3D content for the last four years, and even online content providers are getting into the game as exemplified by AdultContent.nl that added 3D content to its online shop, just to name a few.
