George A Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD will be presented in stereoscopic 3-D for a planned theatrical release, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
New Amsterdam Ent. has hired In-Three, which will use its proprietary "dimensionalization" process to turn the 1978 indie horror flick to 3-D, and should be completed this year.
The only legacy 2-D film that has been converted to digital 3-D was TIM BURTON'S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, which Disney released in October 2006 to 168 theaters and grossed $8.7 million. Disney reissued the film in October 2007 and plans to repeat in 2008 and 2009.
There are just more than 1,000 3-D digital screens in the U.S., with more expected soon.
In-Three uses patented software tools and techniques to create a second image from a 2-D image. Each frame is "dimensionalized," meaning all objects are moved forward or backward from the screen or in relation to one another to create the desired effect. In-Three demonstrated their process on STAR WARS for a 2005 ShoWest screening.
Conversion of legacy material using this process costs about $50,000 to more than $100,000 per minute, depending on the complexity of the image. "We are seeing interest now that people realize there will be sufficient screens to justify the cost," In-Three's Neil Feldman said to the REPORTER.
