Vision Pro and the challenge of 3D movies

No matter what you think of the Vision Pro headset or 3D movies, it’s become apparent over the last few weeks that a lot of people need a primer on 3D, stereoscopic movies. Love them or hate them, there’s no escaping that they’re going to be a subject of conversation again, just as they were more than a decade ago.

Captive audience

Back in the 2000s there was a push to increase movie ticket prices without making major alterations to seating. Stereoscopic movies were an interesting possibility. Sure, they were more difficult and expensive to make, but the advent of digital projectors meant that theaters could be adapted to show them relatively easily. And of course, a 3D blockbuster with impressive visual effects that would give audiences a reason to pay a bit more.

Most 3D theaters are set up with a digital projector and a polarizer set up in front of the projector from a company called RealD.…