Ten years after it took off, Hollywood's biggest film franchise has finally alighted from its broomstick. Between July 15th and July17th Americans shelled out $169m to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"—a record for any film, in nominal terms. But barely a third of the audience opted to watch the boy wizard battle his snakefaced foe in three dimensions. Two years ago it seemed as though a new, improved 3D projection system could rescue a film business battered by falling dvd sales. Fully 71% of the box-office spending on "Avatar" on its opening weekend, in December 2009, went on the 3D version. The 3D showings of "Shrek Forever After" (amusing green monsters rather than earnest blue ones) accounted for 61% of American box-office spending. Cinemas generally charge at least $3 more for a 3D showing-far more than the glasses cost.
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