The simple act of going to the movies has become like a plot from a super hero film. Time after time, the enemies of the cinema have come after the supporters of the big screen, only to be defeated for a while.
It happened when TV first hit, with many predicting the end of theatres.
It continued when surround sound systems came to your home, prompting major improvements in audio in film palaces.
And the naysayers kept calling for doom and gloom when big screen HDTVs and DVDs arrived, only to have bigger screens and digital images introduced at your neighbourhood cineplex.
While all the changes have had an effect on the bottom line of theatres - and the days of 25 cent admission and 50 cent popcorn have faded into history - the technology of the present is once again causing those in charge of the business to look for a new saviour.
And they think they may have found one in an old and once discarded friend: 3D.
Some of the biggest movie companies in the world are betting heavily that a way of experiencing a picture you can't get at home will literally add an extra dimension to watching a flick.
Dreamworks, 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney all believe that the effect that died out in the 1950s in mostly cheesy flicks will make a big comeback in theatres thanks to modern technology and vast improvements in projection.
While you'll still need the glasses to see it, Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg predicts the old stigma of wearing the special lenses will be gone and that they'll become part of the fashion statement of your night out.
The evidence that 3D will be the next big thing is everywhere. Disney has no less than 17 films in the works over the next three years using the technique. And Dreamworks has a big 3D animated film coming out next year called 'Monsters Vs. Aliens.'
But how many will be able to see it the way it was meant to be viewed is another question. Only 1,400 of the estimated 30,000 screens in the U.S. can show 3D now. And there are only 700 around the world, including just a handful in Canada.
Disney may use its considerable financial clout to help theatre owners pay for the necessary conversion to digital and three dimensional, a process expected to cost billions of dollars. There's no word on whether ticket prices might have to rise to pay for it all.
The change comes at a time when the economy is bad and theatre owners are reluctant to spend money on upgrades.
But movies have always resisted hard times. They thrived as an escape during the Great Depression and in days when the market meltdown is itself a movie villain, it could happen again.
In fact, Katzenberg predicts this is just the beginning and you may soon be watching holographic films at your local cinema. He likens the progression to the music industry, which went from scratchy records to 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs and onto MP3s, and calls flat screens the equivalent of vinyl.
So get set for a Hollywood sequel where not even movie makers know how it all ends. For those counting the profits at least, it's a suspense-filled plot they hope has a happy ending.
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