Are 3D Blu-Rays Still Being Made?

3D technology has been around for a long time but wasn’t widely available to experience at home until the huge success of the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar.

In the wake of its massive success the 3D revolution started, 3d TVs, 3D Blu-rays, 3d projectors, gaming consoles, etc.

However, for the most part, 3D technology never went mainstream like envisioned when it came to home theater, and sales for 3D Blu-Ray never took off.

So that begs the question, are 3D Blu-rays still being made?

3D Blu-rays are rarely ever made in the U.S. anymore, although there are some exceptions.

A limited amount of new releases are available overseas, causing domestic viewers to spend a ridiculous amount to get these discs shipped to them.

In this blog post, I will further expand on why 3D Blu Rays are not made anymore as well as the reasons why 3D as a format never caught steam in the home theater space.

I will also go over some of the best 3D Blu-rays that are still available to buy.

Are 3D Blu-Rays Being Made Today?

Although 3D Blu Rays are being scarcely released these days there are still plenty out on the open market.

There was a period of about five years where a ton of new releases were being converted to 3D Blu Ray so they’re a ton of options to pick from.

However, you will likely need to revert to older technology and outdated TVs and Blu-Ray Players to play these movies. As well as put on those 3D glasses.

In terms of new movies being released in 3D Blu Ray it almost never happens in the United States. As I mentioned before you will need to buy the discs from other countries. However, there are always exceptions, here are some of the recent blockbusters to get a 3D release in the US.

Why Did 3D Blu-Ray Fail?

3D Blu-Ray failed because the 3D TVs were too small to recreate the 3d illusion experienced at a movie theater.

Also, people didn’t want to wear 3D glasses at home or shell out thousands of dollars for equipment to see a 3D film.

3D was in a format war with 4K UHD and lost.

Not enough bang for your buck

To experience 3D Blu-Ray required too much of an investment for a rather mediocre home theater experience.

You would need a 3D TV/Projector, a 3D compatible Blu-Ray Player, and 3D glasses just to experience on average 20-30 minutes of 3d footage in the movie.

Most people do not like wearing these glasses and it can cause dizziness and migraines for many, also 3D makes the image dimmer and does not display it in 4k resolution like 4K UHD (more on them in a moment).

Lack of good 3D Transfers

Most 3D movies post-Avatar were shot in 2D initially and then transferred to 3D in post-production.

There was a big knowledge gap between most directors and James Cameron resulting in shotty 3D conversions.

The underwhelming 3D movies that preceded Avatar are a big reason why the 3D format as a whole has lost its footing and isn’t nearly as prevalent.

4K UHD Became the preferred format

3D never had an opportunity to become the new mainstream technology when it came to TV.

It coincided with the rise of 4K technology and was eventually not as popular as that technology, especially when it came to Blu-Ray.

By 2018 nearly every major studio stopped releasing movies in 3D Blu-ray in the US.

It seems customers wanted to view films the way they always have but with added resolution and color depth which came with 4K and HDR on blu ray, of which I explained briefly in a separate article on this site.

Movie Studios noticed this trend and started to make movies shot with 4k cameras and release them on Blu-Ray.

They also upscaled previous 2k content to 4k and added increased color depth and utilized high dynamic range (HDR).

People want 3D at a movie theater, not at home

What is fascinating about 3D is that it is still prevalent in today’s theatrical landscape but is dead when it comes to home theater.

A lot of the latest blockbusters can be seen in either Real D 3d or IMAX 3D and it is still a significant revenue stream for studios when they consider how to display their films in theaters.

However, 3D TVs have been out of production for over 5 years, same thing with 3D Blu-ray, why is that?

Less Distractions

I think a big reason is that people are in a stationary environment when in a theater, they sit for the whole movie and have no added distractions that come with being at home, they are also seeing the film displayed on a massive projector screen.

In contrast, when people watch 3D at home they are watching a film on a small Television and are likely to pause the movie several times and take their glasses on and off causing them dizziness.

The screen size in a theater adds a significant level of immersion, the novelty of 3D wears off on the small screen, but this is not the case with 4K UHD.

Projectors are better for 3D than TV’s

Most people do not have projectors, instead opting for televisions.

It is telling that there are numerous 3D compatible projectors still being made meanwhile 3D TVs have shuttered.

As mentioned before, the novelty of 3D wears off on the smaller screen, seeing a 3D film on a larger projector screen is much more preferable even if the picture quality is not on the same level as a modern TV display.

What are the best Blu-Ray 3D Discs?

I’m willing to guess that if you are asking if 3D Blu Rays are being made that you are somewhat of a fan of the format.

Here are some of the best 3D Blu Rays out there that you can add to your collection

Even though 3D Blu-Ray seems dead at the moment things could change with the recent release of Avatar: The Way of Water.

3D collectors can hope for a more prosperous future when it comes to 3D Blu Ray, fingers crossed.