Sony wants movie-goers to pay for these.

SEPT. 27, 2011 • The Hollywood Reporter reported that starting May 1 Sony Pictures will no longer pay to supply movie theater owners for the cost of 3D glasses. Estimates are the studio can save between $5 million to $10 million per major motion picture. Sony is encouraging a system where exhibitors sell moviegoers 3D glasses. That system is in place in the U.K., Australia, Italy and Spain.

Impact: The lure to spur 3D gaming has been the flood of 3D films released in recent years. All those new 3D TVs need something to show on their screens. The idea is once consumers get hooked on 3D movies at home, 3D games will naturally follow. That’s been the strategy of Sony Computer Entertainment. Charging U.S. consumers for using 3D glasses in theaters may backfire, however. There are too many sub-par 3D films to charge people for something they have not had to pay for previously. If consumers get turned off to 3D in the theaters, that might not bode well for 3D games.