3D, 3-d, basketball, home theater, mark cuban

Mark Cuban To Resurrect Movie Theaters, NBA and 3D At Same Time

Mark Cuban thinks he can save the dying business of movie theaters, which are steadily losing out to home entertainment options as televisions get bigger and video games and pay-per-view choices get better. His plan? Enlist the help of two even more archaic forms of entertainment, the NBA and 3D glasses.

Tuesday night's Dallas Mavericks game against the LA Clippers will be shown in 3D at the Magnolia Theater in Dallas. Cuban believes that the set-up, which consists of the Fusion 3D camera system from Pace as well as two super serious Sony SXRD 4K 10,000 lumens digital cinema projectors, will promote widespread 3D adoption since "watching sports, concerts and special events" in 3-D will be something that "only theaters will be able to offer." (He does add that Samsung and others are bringing it to TVs, but somehow that doesn't get in the way of his argument.)

Let's get real here for a second, Mark. There are about 25 people who still care about the NBA (myself included), and probably 14 people who have worn a pair of 3D glasses in the last decade. Finding a single person in Texas interested in doing both at the same time sounds next to impossible. You've already banned bloggers from your team's locker room because they said some things you didn't like. For a so-called technology pioneer, you sure seem out-of-touch. [Reuters]

9:45 AM on Fri Mar 21 2008
By Benny Goldman
8,812 views
26 comments

Comments

razorx at 10:07 AM on 03/21/08
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I live in the Dallas area and your right... I'm for 3D; NBA not so much.
leemajors at 10:07 AM on 03/21/08
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i'd pay $10 to see NBA playoff games in 3d for sure.
Camperton at 10:12 AM on 03/21/08
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"Samsung and others are bringing it to TVs"

Yeah, but are they bringing it to TV's this Tuesday?
Alex at 10:39 AM on 03/21/08
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Hopefully he goes through with this and other stupid ideas so he can finally be broke, and people will stop writing about this goon.
jbhitter24 at 11:04 AM on 03/21/08
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maybe the movie theaters shouldn't charge me $10.50 a ticket and i'd be more willing to go.
KingRoyale at 11:08 AM on 03/21/08
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@Camperton:

The current and upcoming Sammy DLPs are 3-D Ready, as are the upcoming SEries 4 Plasmas (hitting stores supposedly this month, so perhaps in the next few weeks?). And the DDD accessory kit with the glasses and s/w can apparently convert 2-D stuff from a PC into 3-D on the fly...watch the old Bulls n Blazers in 3-Dizzle!!!
drewheyman at 11:19 AM on 03/21/08
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25 people who care about the NBA?

Uh, Deadspin's March Madness took down your site yesterday, so at least that number of people care about basketball. (ha, that's probably 25. kidding!)

They can pass 3D glasses out at the door of the theatre.
Papercutninja at 11:54 AM on 03/21/08
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How will he prevent the number of "undesirables" (re:suburban gangstas) who go to the movies that ruined pretty much the last dozen or so of my movie experiences?
Out2gtcha at 12:15 PM on 03/21/08
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Dont really care about the NBA, 3D or Cuban but Id sure take Cubans loot.
ILikeMacsWhatAboutIT at 12:17 PM on 03/21/08
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How to save movie theaters: 1) Cheaper tickets 2) Hot chicks in 3D...Would I pay $5 to see an 80' 3D verion of Saving Private Ryan? Heck yeah! Would I pay $5 to see an 80' 3D version of Amy Adams? Yup.
Spaceboy at 12:17 PM on 03/21/08
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@Papercutninja:

easy, put a revolving door and a "RIMS SALE" sign on both sides.
astrocramp at 12:34 PM on 03/21/08
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Last time I checked you couldn't buy alcohol when going to a movie. Unless they serve buckets of beer at the theatre, sports events are a non-starter.
oo0cyst0oo at 12:36 PM on 03/21/08
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mark cuban is really smart about tech stuff but this is retarded. also, there are no suburban gangstas at the magnolia, just the asshole yuppie crowd.
oo0cyst0oo at 12:36 PM on 03/21/08
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@astrocramp: they do serve alcohol there. so... win?
oakie at 01:08 PM on 03/21/08
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basketball is still a sport?
Sheadhead at 01:20 PM on 03/21/08
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The NBA is actually doing quite well... Check below for a note on TV ratings this year.

3D has been making quite the comeback (i.e. families watching the new Hannah Montana show that brought in plenty of cash)

[myespn.go.com]

and yes... the Magnolia theatre does serve and at not unreasonable prices.

Cuban shouldn't have banned bloggers from the locker room, but this post is sadly a little more off base than most from Gizmodo.
pashdown at 01:53 PM on 03/21/08
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What happened to his magic toilet business?
Jordan Lund at 02:57 PM on 03/21/08
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Here's an idea for movie theaters...

Sell merchandise.

You have movies based on books right?

And CD soundtracks for the films?

Movie posters?

All of that could (and should) be sold right there in the lobby.
geedeck at 03:16 PM on 03/21/08
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I think the parting shots toward Marc seem like a bit much. Especially given that he wrote a rebuttal to your comment about banning bloggers he doesn't like, well weeks ago:

[www.blogmaverick.com]
snathanb at 04:30 PM on 03/21/08
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Yo.. gizmodo bloggers.. just 'cause you got beat up (often, I'm sure) in gym class is no cause for you to diss the NBA.
redclear55 at 06:29 PM on 03/21/08
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any reason for the nba ridicule? seems way out of left field. whoops... i'm sorry, do you hate mlb too?

want to make the theater experience better? they need to make it an "experience". better quality food, alcohol, better quality seats, much much cleaner environment and no commercials. obviously this would equate to a higher ticket cost which would have the benefit of weeding out the unwanted customers. i would put this in the same category as going to see a play or the symphony.

of course I'm not saying all theaters would follow this model, but it would draw me as a customer.
sime0n at 06:54 PM on 03/21/08
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what's with the NBA hating? the NBA is the best professional sports league in the world. combining it with 3D screens, alcohol, and people to share the game with is a great idea.
tetrion at 07:13 PM on 03/21/08
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Yeah, I'm gunna pay $20Au for something that gunna give me a puking headache after 15mins, an a#hole yammers constantly throught the movie, and some stoned teenage girls giggling relentlessly, coupled with rattling chip packets, and slurping drinks, and butt numbing sticky seats, stuck behind an 7 foot person with a 1 1/2 foot afro... Yeah sign me up.

Dream on!
tackett at 10:02 PM on 03/21/08
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Last time I went to a movie...
$12
Overpriced crappy "food"
No beer
Some urban gangsta' yammering on his phone
lots of disrespect for "the experience"
I have no plans to go to a movie any more.

It might be a different story if it was a sports event (talking would be far more acceptable). On the other hand, I could see fights between fans. Overall, not for me.

Good luck with that, 'cause theaters are dead to a lot of us.
jspeed04 at 11:06 PM on 03/21/08
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Sorry guys, but the NBA doesn't need fixing.
ninjatales at 02:39 AM on 03/24/08
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I actually enjoyed watching Batman Begins and the last Harry Potter on 3D (yes with 3D glasses) at the local IMax when those movies came out in the theaters.

That and all of the 3D/4D shows I saw over in Orlando's Universal Studios in the past few years.

3D is my thing.