It’s been over two years now since Avatar first hit theatres and 3D has not quite taken over like everyone thought it would. 3D ticket sales are continuing to fall in North America as moviegoers opt for the cheaper 2D alternative in most cases, with a few key exceptions (ie. Transformers: Dark of the Moon). Clearly this is bad news for theatre owners who have spent a lot of money upgrading their cinemas with digital technology in order to show all of these 3D movies. If the situation doesn’t improve soon, there’s a chance that it could also impact the prices of 2D screenings within the next year or so. Call me crazy, but I suspect that this would not go over very well with moviegoers.

This news comes courtesy of Joe Palette, CEO of Spotlight Theatres, who offers his thoughts on the future of movie exhibition in the latest issue of Screen Trade Magazine:

“Among the bigger changes will probably see the 3D-upcharge disappear. 3D charges will help increase the overall ticket-price but, as an industry, I think we’ll see a blend begin to emerge in 2012, where patrons will have a single price for both 2D and 3D films. 2D prices will increase and 3D prices will decrease.”

Now keep in mind, this is just one guy’s opinion, but it does make a lot of sense. They’ll sell it to us as a 3D price decrease, but the end result is that we will end up paying a single price regardless of how many dimensions the movie has. If this were to happen, it would be interesting to see how many people still end up choosing 2D over 3D, although I suspect most consumers would see the 3D version as giving more value for their money. Still, the more important question is… would an increase in 2D ticket prices actually keep more people from going to the movies?