He wasn’t kidding when he said he would be back. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day is returning to theaters for a special screening with a difference later this year.
On August 25th, 26 years after it first screened, James Cameron’s Terminator sequel will play at select theaters in a revitalized 3-D format. While I’m not always a fan of the 3-D format on the big screen, the prospect of seeing T-1000 emerging from the screen in all his gooey glory is definitely worthy of excitement.
Strangely, these screenings will represent the first time Arnold Schwarzenegger has ever been converted into the 3-D format.
These 3-D screenings were first teased last summer with the poster above, but now we’ve got an official release date for the screenings, which will occur worldwide.
If you’re wondering why such an event is being put on during a non-anniversary year, James Cameron has the honest answer: Chinese box-office. Cameron has long been open about the potential the Chinese market has for re-releases of classic movie properties, and his comments last year show that this project isn’t purely about nostalgia.
If there was someone who was interested in doing that, and we could make a good case for the business model like, perhaps let’s say, it’s never been on screens in China which in the next few years is about to become the biggest market for films worldwide. That alone might justify the cost of a conversion which might be 6 or 7 million dollars. And then a 3D re-release might attract some eyeballs in North American and Europe and then the Chinese release, which would be the first release on the big screen, might pay for it. I’m just using that as an example. I’m just saying we’re not ruling it out. We’re looking at it.
Should this venture be successful, expect more and more projects like it in the coming years.
