Lucasfilm has released the first poster for the 3-D run of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and villain Darth Maul really pops out of the image. The recent success of a re-release of Disney’s The Lion King in 3-D, which earned nearly $100 million domestically, definitely bodes well for the first Star War 3-D release, in spite of the fact that 3-D movies have had a generally poor year at the domestic box office so far in 2011.
While there have been some extra-dimensional successes, unlike the situation in 2010 when almost anything in 3-D was sure to do at least solid business, there have been a number of 3-D flops in 2011, and no breakout hits such as James Cameron’s Avatar or Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Audiences have become reluctant to spend the extra money to don the 3-D glasses for just any movie. Evidently the chance to see a classic like The Lion King in a new way was a major incentive for many. Lucasfilm is hoping to achieve the same sort of success with the iconic Star Wars films.
