Much of the other pre-publicity I've seen titles the film "Conan The Barbarian 3D". That's how it's listed on the US poster, on the studio boards for the junket interviews and even the URL of the official website (albeit with an extra "in" for clarity). Yet the UK ad divorces the dimension from the title and makes plain that the film will be available in 3D and 2D. If ever there was a clear notice that even the studios are having jitters about 3D it's right there.
A month ago, Reuters reported that "shares of RealD Inc, a licensor of 3D technologies, fell 10 percent on Monday as 3D viewership numbers for the final Harry Potter film fell short of investor expectations over the weekend." Although it was a massive success, only 43% of the box office was from 3D placements and anecdotal evidence (twitter, emailers to the Mark Kermode show) suggested people actively looked for 2D presentations.
I've also read (though I can't find the link) that films with 3D in the title actually do worse at the box office overall, which might suggest that there's an audience which stays away if they think that a film is only going to be in 3D. Which might explain the marketeers strategy here. They want to let people who don't like 3D know that they can watch the beheadings without the tip of the sword in their faces.
But what does that tell us about the future of 3D? That it really isn't looking good. If the film companies have realised 3D isn't universally liked and that as well as having to supply their wares in both versions they're telling the potential audience this prominently on the poster, it means they understand that user confidence in their shiny new format isn't particularly high.
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