3D movies finally come to Rotorua

It's been a long-time coming but it's finally here - Rotorua residents can watch 3D movies without leaving the city.
State-of-the-art 3D technology and equipment - including projector and glasses - arrived at Rotorua's Reading Cinemas from the United States yesterday and staff started unwrapping everything immediately so they could start showing 3D movies from tomorrow.
Residents will be able to get their first 3D cinema experience in Rotorua with the action film Thor starring Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman, which will screen tomorrow.
Reading Cinemas complex manager Adam Morrison was excited about the new technology and said staff would be working to set up the Dolby Digital 3D projector to make sure it was ready.
"We're just putting it all together now," Mr Morrison said.
He was glad to have the technology in Rotorua finally after a wait of about 18 months. "It's been in the pipeline for a long time. It was definitely a long process."
Before now, Rotorua residents had to travel to Te Puke, Tauranga or Mount Maunganui to watch 3D movies. Since there were more and more 3D movies being released, Mr Morrison was glad Rotorua residents could now stay in the city to enjoy them.
"It's going to change everything for the better, it's definitely the new direction that the industry is going," he said.
Last June, The Daily Post featured articles about people wanting 3D technology in Rotorua so they no longer had to travel out of town. About a month later, Rotorua student Logan Makan set up a Facebook group called Rotorua needs 3D cinemas, which sparked a lot of debate over why smaller centres like Te Puke had one and Rotorua didn't.
Rotorua's Layla Robinson travelled out of town to see 3D movies at least once a month. She would visit the Tauranga 3D cinema and at $19 a movie and petrol expenses, the activity would get a bit expensive.
She said she was pleased she no longer had to leave Rotorua to watch a 3D film on the big screen.
"I think it's absolutely brilliant for Rotorua, a lot of people are travelling out of town."
"I guess it will just bring people back to the movies hopefully ... it's a cool experience."
Because Thor was released a couple of weeks ago, Mr Morrison said they would be using this first 3D weekend as a training run before they held a big 3D opening when the next 3D film was released, which would be Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on May 19.
Other upcoming 3D movies Rotorua residents will be able to see include Green Lantern starring Rotorua's own Temuera Morrison, Cars 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II, which are all scheduled to be released within the next couple of months.
Meanwhile, Morrison's latest feature film Tracker, in which he stars alongside English actor Ray Winstone, is now showing at Reading Cinemas.
The film is set in 1903. Winstone plays an ex-Boer War guerrilla in New Zealand who is sent out to bring back a Maori (Morrison) accused of killing a British soldier.
 
Movies to watch in 3D:
Thor - May 7
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - May 19
Green Lantern - June 16
Cars 2 - June 23
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - June 30
Kung Fu Panda 2 - July 7
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II - July 4