It began with a bang 18 months ago, but Hollywood's 3D honeymoon may already be over as audiences ditch the glasses and opt to watch films the old way.
When Avatar was released in 2009, about 80% of cinema-goers chose to see it using new technology, helping it to make it the biggest grossing film ever. But the proportion of US audiences that have chosen to experience the latest blockbusters in 3D has fallen sharply.
Only 38% of the US box office take for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides came from 3D tickets. Among other big budget Hollywood offerings, Green Lantern, Cars 2 and Kung Fu Panda 2 all took 45% or less of their receipts from 3D sales.
The souring public reception is explained by factors including ticket prices, which are almost 50% higher. Audiences have also been disillusioned by a rash of films that were hurriedly and badly converted to the technology, while other viewers have been made unwell by the effects. The American Association of Optometrists found as many as a quarter of people reported eye strain, dizziness, headaches or nausea.
Sales of 3D television sets have also stalled. In Britain, only 125,000 households bought one last year, while in American just 1.1 million sets were sold.
Analysts have said that, while broadcasters and electronics manufacturers are investing heavily in the new technology, the public is not engaging with it.
In Hollywood, leading film-makers including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, have eagerly embraced 3D and dozens of films are already lined up for the next few years.
Studio executives continue to talk up a revolution on par with the advent of colour, but the audience reaction has sent jitters through the industry.
Ahead of the release of this summer's Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the Director, Michael Bay, wrote to cinema projectionists asking them not to skimp on bulbs to save money and "counter the recent trend of audiences being underwhelmed by 'dark dingy-looking 3D'". He added: "we are all in this together. Let's make the audience believe again."
As a result, 60% of the US box office at the opening came from 3D although critics pointed out that it was not as widely available in 2D as previous films.
There is a bright spot for Hollywood. In Europe, 80% of the audiences chose to see the recent release Thor in 3D.
Those who have invested in the technology deny that the public is losing interest. They blame the large number of productions competing for a finite number of upgraded screens.