Want Avatar’s Blu-ray 3D Version? Prepare to Pay

To call last winter’s Avatar a hit would be a gross understatement. The film, which cost about $240 million to produce, raked in a total of ~$2.8 billion in gross revenue… more than 10x. I haven’t seen the movie, nor plan to, but I’ve heard a countless number of opinions from many people, and it’s certainly a mixed bag. But one thing’s for sure… it’s going to be a huge seller this winter.

Coupled with the growing interest in Blu-ray 3D, it can be assumed that the demand for this film in 3D is going to be rather large. Believe it or not, though, while the movie is going to be available soon for purchase in 3D, it’s exclusive. Very, very exclusive.

According to tech site TG Daily, Panasonic currently has exclusive rights to sell the 3D version, and to help see the return-of-investment it’s surely gunning for, it’s bundling the movie with an upcoming $400 kit that includes a 3D Blu-ray player and two sets of glasses. Not interested, but don’t want to wait? No worries… if you’re lucky, you might be able to get a copy off of eBay for the low price of $200.

I can’t blame Panasonic for its move here, but it is a bit unfortunate that one of the hottest selling movies of the season is going to have its flagship version limited to a $400 package. The movie industry is currently banking high on the 3D aspect, so it seems strange that the studios behind the movie would want to throttle its sales like this. Panasonic must have worked some magic for this privilege.

So, if you have a 3D TV from Samsung (the market leader in 3D), Sony, Vizio, or anyone else, other than Panasonic, you’ll have to turn to Ebay. They’ve been selling for around $300 – $350, though some lucky buyers have been able to grab one for as “low” as $250. Remember, we’re talking about a Blu-ray movie here.