While I was writing an article on Monday about how the 3D per screen ticket sales were in decline (which doesn’t necessarily mean that audience interest in 3D is in decline), I realized that there wasn’t really an updated in-depth listing of 3D movie releases on the web. Most of the ones I found were missing something or were out of date, so I thought I’d create one myself.

After the jump you can find a comprehensive calendar of all the 3D movie releases that we know of in the next few years (up until 2013). As always, release dates are tentative. If you know of any wide releases that I’ve missed, please leave the information in the comments.

2009:

July 24, 2009: G-Force

Official Plot Synopsis: “Producer Jerry Bruckheimer brings his first 3-D film to the big screen with G-Force, a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws. Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin (voice of Sam Rockwell), the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster (voice of Tracy Morgan), an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez (voice of Penelope Cruz), a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles (voice of Nicolas Cage), the computer and information specialist. Directed by two-time Oscar®-winning visual effects master Hoyt Yeatman—G-Force takes audiences on a high-octane thrill ride, proving once and for all that size really doesn’t matter.”

July 29, 2009: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (25 minutes of 3D in IMAX)

The IMAX presentation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will feature approximately 25 minutes of 3D footage, split over the opening sequence and the film’s climax. Potter fans will remember that the 17-minute finale of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was also presented in IMAX 3D. I never got the chance to see the Phoenix finale in 3D, and didn’t hear a big buzz about it from fans.

A lot of fans had an adverse reaction to the 3D presentation in Superman Returns, which was a post up-conversion process. It’s my understanding that the Potter footage uses the same conversion process (i.e. it wasn’t shot using 3D cameras). I’m not totally against the idea of post processed 3D, but it leaves me with the icky feeling of seeing a black and white movie which has been converted to color.

August 28, 2009: The Final Destination

The first movie was built around an airplane crash, the second movie revolved around a highway accident, the third movie involved a deadly roller coaster ride, and now Final Destination 4, which has been given the more-confusing-than-clever title The Final Destination, takes us to a Nascar track where the race becomes deadly. Yes, it is just as stupid as it sounds. But hey, it might be fun in 3D? Watch the trailer here.

 

September 18, 2009: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Inspired by the beloved children’s book, Sony Pictures Animation’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. tells the story of a scientist named Flint Lockwood, who while trying to solve world hunger who encounters a problem of global proportions, as food begins to fall from the sky like rain. Written and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, executive producers of the television show How I Met Your Mother, and featuring a voice cast comprised of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Tracy Morgan and Mr. T. Watch the trailer here.

October 2, 2009: Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D Double Feature 2 Week Only Limited Engagement

Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will be released as a 3D double feature nationwide on October 2nd 2009. The double feature will first premiere at the 66th annual Venice Film Festival, which runs September 2nd – 12th 2009. The limited engagement will only run for two weeks. Toy Story 3 is still scheduled for a June 18th 2010 release. The first real trailer for the third film will be attached the the double feature, and will be presented in 3D.

October 23, 2009: The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D Re-Release

Disney will re-release the 3D up-conversion of Tim Burton’s holiday stop-animated classic in a limited amount of theaters.

October 23, 2009: Astroboy

Imagi Animation Studios, the guys responsible for the recent computer animated TMNT film, are making a big screen computer animated adaptation of AstroBoy. Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive “blue” energy, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly.

Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy encounters many other colorful characters along the way. Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Ultimately learning his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to understand what it takes to be a hero. Watch the second teaser trailer here.

November 6, 2009: Robert Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol

Disney’s A Christmas Carol is being billed as “a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking 3D motion picture event.” The official plot synopsis follows: Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (Gary Oldman) and his cheery nephew (Colin Firth). But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.” Carrey not only plays Scrooge, but also the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. And Oldman does triple duty as Bob Cratchit, Marley and Tiny Tim. Check out some footage from the film here.

November 20, 2009: Planet 51

Ilion Animation Studios’ $60 million computer animated feature film Planet 51, tells the story of Earth astronaut Capt. Charles “Chuck” Baker, who lands on Planet 51, which is inhabited by creatures who live in fear of an alien invasion. Befriended by a young resident, the astronaut has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and return home. Sounds like a great concept, but I already saw a movie called Terra with almost the EXACT SAME STORYLINE at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. To be fair, both Terra and Planet 51 were probably in production at the same time (I know Planet 51 has been in production for the last five years), so I’m not accusing. The animation in Planet is a lot more refined, as the production has a much higher budget. Watch the trailer.

Aliens in the Attic

Release Date: July 31, 2009

Genre: Adventure, Comedy

MPAA Rating: PG

Movie Poster: Large Image Below

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Director: John Schultz

Screenwriter: Mark Burton, Adam F. Goldberg

Actors/Actresses: Kevin Nealon, Robert Hoffman, Doris Roberts, Tim Meadows, Ashley Tisdale

Plot Summary: “Aliens in the Attic,” co-scripted by one of the writers of “Madagascar” and the Academy Award-winning “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbits,” is an adventure/comedy about kids on a family vacation who must fight off an attack by knee-high alien invaders with world-destroying ambitions–while the youngsters’ parents remain clueless about the battle.

After muggles packed the midnight shows, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” quickly slowed down at the box office and resembled, well, the last “Potter” movie.

The sixth film in the Warner Bros. series based on the bestselling books sold a studio-estimated $159.7 million worth of tickets in the U.S. from Wednesday through Sunday, exactly $20 million more than the last installment, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” did in its first five days in July 2007.

About $11 million of that difference can be attributed to the nearly 8% rise in ticket prices from 2007, according to data from the National Assn. of Theatre Owners. The other $9 million came from midnight shows Wednesday, when “Half-Blood Prince” earned $22.2 million. “Order of the Phoenix,” by contrast, earned $12 million from midnight shows when it also debuted on a Wednesday.

Opening midnight shows for “Half-Blood Prince” were so huge that they blew away the record of $18.5 million set by last summer’s “The Dark Knight.” As a result, it seemed very possible that the new “Potter” film could topple the records for the best Wednesday opening as well as for the biggest five-day gross for a film debuting on a Wednesday, which were set by “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” last month.

By that evening, however, the movie’s momentum slowed, and it was clear that no more records would be smashed. Warner Bros.’ $155-million investment in worldwide marketing and distribution had essentially bought the same-size audience as the last movie, along with some more of the most ardent fans willing to wait in line for the first shows.

“The same kids who were begging their parents to let them see the first [’Potter’ movie] are now teenagers driving themselves to the midnight shows,” said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros.

He added that the studio’s decision to delay the movie’s release from November probably heightened anticipation for the earliest showings.

Ticket sales for “Half-Blood Prince” were similarly strong overseas, where it earned $237 million in 54 foreign territories. Although comparisons are difficult because of varying exchange rates and the mix of countries where movies open, it’s clearly one of the biggest international starts of all time.

Comparing only the same 54 territories, 2007’s “Order of the Phoenix” grossed $210 million overseas, according to Warner Bros. The new movie made about 13% more, almost the exact rise it experienced domestically.

With a huge, $396.7-million five-day opening worldwide, “Half-Blood Prince” is well on its way to being another “Potter” hit for Warner Bros. Audiences reacted well, giving it an average grade of “A-,” according to market research firm CinemaScore.

Given how closely the latest “Potter” film is tracking the opening of “Order of the Phoenix,” the new movie will probably end up close to its predecessor’s final ticket sales: $292 million domestically and $646.2 million overseas.

Since studios keep about half of the money their movies make at the box office (the rest stays with theaters), Warner Bros. has a good shot at recouping the $250 million it paid for production as well as the marketing and distribution costs for “Half-Blood Prince.” After the film’s theatrical run ends, revenue from DVDs and pay-per-view are highly likely to prove very profitable.

No other new movies dared challenge “Potter” this weekend, but Fox Searchlight’s “(500) Days of Summer” had a fantastic start at 27 theaters in 10 cities. The indie romantic comedy sold $837,500 worth of tickets, giving it a strong average of $31,000 at each location. According to Sheila DeLoach, senior vice president of distribution for Fox Searchlight, the picture sold out most shows at its four theaters in Los Angeles.

It was a terrible second weekend for “Bruno,” which saw ticket sales plummet 73% in the face of strongly negative audience reactions. That’s the biggest such drop for any movie so far this year.

After 10 days at the box office, the second big-screen Sacha Baron Cohen comedy has grossed $49.6 million domestically and $46 million overseas. It will probably gross only about half of the $261.6 million that his first movie, “Borat,” made worldwide in 2006.

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $79,475,000 (Cumulative Gross $159,662,000)
2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $17,700,000 (Cumulative Gross $152,005,000)
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $13,750,000 (Cumulative Gross $363,867,000)
4. Bruno $8,374,000 (Cumulative Gross $49,588,000)
5. The Hangover $8,315,000 (Cumulative Gross $235,882,000)
6. The Proposal $8,294,000 (Cumulative Gross $128,087,000)
7. Public Enemies $7,592,000 (Cumulative Gross $79,483,000)
8. Up $3,147,000 (Cumulative Gross $279,559,000)
9. My Sister’s Keeper $2,825,000 (Cumulative Gross $41,504,000)
10. I Love You, Beth Cooper $2,665,000 (Cumulative Gross $10,261,000)
11. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 $885,000 (Cumulative Gross $62,896,000)
12. (500) Days of Summer $838,000 (Cumulative Gross $838,000)

Matt Smith and Karen Gillan have been pictured in their new outfits for ‘Doctor Who’ for the first time. Filming began yesterday on Matt’s first adventure as the legendary Time Lord and he appears relaxed on set.

Wearing a tweed jacket, bow tie, rolled up trousers and black boots, Matt (the eleventh Doctor) said “I feel very privileged and proud to be part of this iconic show. The scripts are brilliant – I’m excited about the future and all the brilliant adventures I get to go on as the Doctor.”

Matt Smith, at 26, is the youngest actor to portray the Doctor.

Steve Moffat, new lead writer and Executive Producer on ‘Doctor Who’ said – “Matt and Karen are going to be incredible, and Doctor Who is going to come alive on Saturday nights in a whole new way.”

What do you think of the new outfit? Are you excited by the change in Doctor, or bemoan the loss of David Tennant? Let us know what you think….