Great news for Harry Potter fans. When you show up to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 this November, you won’t be forced to watch it in 3D. Warner Bros. Pictures has issued a statement announcing that they’re abandoning plans to post-convert the movie into the lucrative 3D format.
According to their announcement this is a move made simply to protect your movie experience. They say they were unable to “convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality” and that they “do not want to disappoint fans who have long-anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey”.
The thing is, live-action 3D conversions never work. No one has been able to pull one off that looks like anything other than total crap. I’m not sure why Warner Bros. thought they could change that, but they have at last realized this is Harry Potter and they don’t need bad 3D gimmicks to pull in an audience. People have loved and enjoyed this series in 2D, why risk ruining it for them now by turning it into Clash of the Titans? Thank you Warner Bros. Classy move.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 will be released on time, November 19, in a worldwide 2D day and date release. Enjoy it. This may be the last big franchise you’ll be able to watch through to completion in 2D.
UPDATE: Here is the full press release:
For Immediate ReleaseStatement from Warner Bros. regarding “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1:”Warner Bros Pictures has made the decision to release “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1” in 2D, in both conventional and IMAX theaters, as we will not have a completed 3D version of the film within our release date window. Despite everyone’s best efforts, we were unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality. We do not want to disappoint fans who have long-anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey, and to that end, we are releasing our film day-and-date on November 19, 2010 as planned. We, in alignment with our filmmakers, believe this is the best course to take in order to ensure that our audiences enjoy the consummate “Harry Potter” experience.Producer David Heyman said, “For 10 years, we have worked alongside Alan Horn and the studio, whose priority has always been to preserve the integrity of Jo Rowling’s books as we have adapted them to the screen, and this decision reflects that commitment.”Director David Yates continued, “This decision, which we completely support, underscores the fact that Warner Bros. has always put quality first.”As scheduled, on July 15, 2011, we will deliver to conventional and IMAX theaters our final installment of the film franchise, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” in both 2D and 3D formats.
