Nielsen Finds Strong Consumer Appetite for 3-D Films but Weak Awareness

The Nielsen Company today reported that there is strong consumer appetite for 3-D films, based on a detailed analysis that showed a 65% sales increase in theatres using 3-D technology to exhibit their movies.

The analysis, which was unveiled today by Nielsen Preview at the Cine Expo conference in The Netherlands, compared the film's performance in comparable theatres with a proven track record in the action/adventure genre. This like-to-like comparison provides a more sophisticated understanding on the impact of 3-D than other studies that simply looked at the performance of the movie in 3-D and 2-D theatres regardless of their historical ability to attract action/adventure movies.

"With all the upcoming hype around 3-D, we wanted to take a hard look and see if there is truly a consumer appetite for 3-D," says Ann Marie Dumais, SVP, Nielsen PreView. "Our new research approach contrasted theatres in such a way to demonstrate consumers, when given a choice, will choose 3-D."

Nielsen PreView's 3-D study analyzed over 4,000 theatres in the United States. The research found theatres with at least one screen exhibiting in 3-D had a 65% increase in box office sales compared to their 2-D counterparts. Further, those theatres that chose to exhibit in 3-D on more than one screen saw their sales climb yet even higher to 100% versus what was expected, indicating that one 3-D screen per theatre may not be enough to satisfy consumer demand.

While consumers have an appetite for 3-D films, they often lack awareness and education around what 3-D is and where to find it. In a recent Nielsen survey, 48% were unaware that their movie choices were even available in 3-D. The numbers cited in this study are likely to go even higher for the industry with increased marketing support and consumer education.

About Nielsen PreView(TM)

PreView provides shared industry research on a collective and cost effective basis to all interested members. http://www.NielsenPreView.com members guide research topics by rating, commenting and voting on current and future studies. Based on member feedback, Nielsen PreView links, models and analyzes various Nielsen informational assets to provide members a shared resource of insight and direction. Being a part of The Nielsen Company enables Nielsen PreView to have access to some of the world's leading experts and largest global data sources -- measuring consumer's movie, music, TV, Internet and book preferences, as well as product and lifestyle behavior.

About The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), online intelligence (NetRatings and BuzzMetrics), trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit http://www.nielsen.com.