James Cameron defends 3D movies and compares impact to colour films

James Cameron insists 3D isn't "over" and compares it to colour films becoming the norm.

The veteran filmmaker - who helped revitalise the format with 2009's 'Avatar' - has shrugged off the idea audiences have moved on, instead arguing that it's simple become "accepted".

As reported by /Film, he said during a roundtable promoting the 'Avatar' re-release: "3D appears to most people to sort of be ‘over.’ But it’s really not over. It’s just been accepted.

“It’s just now a part of your choices when you go to the theater to see a big blockbuster movie.

"I liken it to color,” the filmmaker continued. “When color films first came out, it was a big deal. People would go to see movies because they were in color."

Cameron pointed to the interest in 'Avatar' back in 2009, with the blockbuster remaining the higest-grossing film of all time worldwlide with a huge $2.8 billion.

He added: "I think around the time of ‘Avatar,’ people used to go to see movies because they were in 3D…

"I think it had an impact on how films were presented that’s now just sort of accepted and part of the zeitgeist and how it’s done.”

He also explained that 3D movies were popular with critics and audiences in the 2010s, which translated into award season success.

He said: "‘Avatar’ won the best cinematography with a 3D digital camera. No digital camera had ever won the best cinematography Oscar before.

"Then two out of the three subsequent years, the same cameras were used by the cinematographers that won the Oscar.

"So you got three out of four years where the Academy embraced digital cinematography. And all three of those films were in 3D.”

As well as the 'Avatar' re-release in 3D later this month, Cameron is also looking ahead to the long-awaited sequel 'Avatar: The Way of the Water' before Christmas.