If you were around when Avatar first graced cinemas in 2009, you probably remember audiences buzzing about the 3D effects. No, not the impressive CGI special effects, the 3D novelty involving wearing special glasses into the theater. The success of Avatar’s 3D theatrical run kickstarted a bunch of 3D movies throughout the 2010s until they began to wane later on. But Disney hopes to reignite the 3D craze with Avatar: The Way of Water. Disney’s chief of global film distribution, Tony Chambers, comments with The Hollywood Reporter on the company’s plans to lure audiences back to theaters while COVID-19 is still running amok.

Indeed, the message seems to play into what audiences enjoyed so much in the first Avatar. Through word of mouth, audiences couldn’t get enough of Pandora. This was due to not only the film’s groundbreaking special effects, but the way it utilized 3D technology at the time to really make the characters pop out of the giant screen and in front of the viewer. Avatar became an experience, but can that same effect be achieved again when the average moviegoer is more hesitant to go out for a movie? Jon Landau, Lightstorm Entertainment’s producer alongside James Cameron, thinks so.

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While 3D has been still going strong in parts of the world (45% of Brazil’s profit for Dr. Strange 2’s opening was from 3D), in America, the novelty became less of a draw for general audiences with time. In the beginning, directors and cinematographers planned their movies and shots for the format. But after some time, movies were soon bogged down with an influx of titles that, to audiences, were not worth the extra charge for the glasses. Landau expresses these feelings with The Hollywood Reporter.

But Disney hopes to curve that feeling with Avatar, and so far, there are hints that audiences are willing to comply. When the long-awaited Avatar trailer premiered before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, close to 10% of audiences chose to fork over the extra 20%-30% for a 3D ticket, a massive jump not just for 3D, but for 3D in a pandemic. This summer, Disney will also be offering 3D versions of its major films leading up to Avatar: The Way of Water, specifically Lightyear, to further this push. Are you willing to pick up the glasses again?