Jamie Frevele examines how 3D has raised revenues for theaters:
But here’s the catch to that: since 3D tickets cost more, the higher revenues were not a result of people buying more tickets, it was just less people buying more expensive tickets. Because those "higher revenues" were higher by less than one percent. The summer of 2011 marked the worst summer for theaters since 1997, with the second lowest number of tickets sold in 14 years.
Ryan Bonneville stays optimistic:
Theaters aren’t fundamentally failing to provide a product that people want to buy; they are responding to the fact that people have a lot of options and are choosing to exercise more of them. For some people, staying at home to watch a movie using Netflix’s instant streaming service is worth more than a night at the movies. … The theaters, in turn, are responding to that dynamic by increasing the options they are uniquely situated to provide (things like 3D and IMAX and, apparently, 400-pound tubs of popcorn) – and they are making more money with fewer customers. Everybody is winning! This doesn’t seem like the death of a culture to me. Just the opposite, frankly.
Claude Brodesser-Akner further deflates the 3D balloon and explores one film that's promoting 2D. Greg Tran takes 3D to the next level with "Digital 3D … a fascinating, if highly theoretical, exploration of the future of augmented reality."
The Dish 