As the 3D re-release of James Cameron’s epic-romance Titanic approaches this April, you can bet that teenagers and adults alike will be lining up to get a glimpse of the once highest-grossing movie of all time. With the growing popularity of 3D cinema over the past decade, film studios are more than eager to profit off this phenomenon. After all, a re-release in 3D requires few expenses; film studios only need money for format adjustments and marketing, which is nothing compared to the hundreds of millions invested in the originals. On top of that, theaters can charge almost $15 for just one ticket, and audiences seem perfectly willing to dig into their pockets to see that classic shipwreck bigger and better than ever.
But is it really worth wasting money on a movie that most people have seen at least five times? That seems to be the question troubling Junior Ori Powers who says, “I don’t want to spend that much dough on a movie; that’s dinner money.”
This February marked the first 3D re-release of the Star Wars saga. The Phantom Menace originally grossed $115 million in their first weekend, thereby moving into the top twenty highest grossing ever. I myself was in attendance for the re-release, and though I enjoyed the movie, I regret spending the $15, as it really wasn’t much different from watching the DVD at home. George Lucas even says that the 3D version is “just a conversion” of the Blu-ray release of the film in 2011 and no additional changes have been made. So before you spend the money on Titanic this April, consider renting the DVD and watching it on your comfortable couch instead of a cramped theatre.