By Nigel Powlson

SO far we have had U2 in your lap, Brendan Fraser dodging dinosaurs in the front row and Hannah Montana dancing in the aisles but it's today that the 3D revolution could really start.

Digital 3D is the new cinema experience that has got Hollywood over-excited and studio bosses are hoping that we will all be sitting in the multiplexes wearing special glasses as computer-animated dogs and masked killers fly at us.

The new generation of 3D films have been dripping into Derby since Cinema De Lux opened last year but so far it has been a diet of concert films (U2, Hannah Montana) and lightweight film offerings (Journey to the Center of the Earth). But with ever more cinemas taking up the new technology the number of releases in 3D is getting bigger and bolder.

Already this year My Bloody Valentine has been a surprise 3D hit but the film that could really blow open the market is Disney's Bolt, which opens today.

Derby Odeon and Burton's Cineworld have now joined Cinema De Lux in the 3D revolution and are expecting Bolt to be a box office breakthrough for the fledgling format.

Tom Buckley, general manger at Derby Odeon, says: "My Bloody Valentine has been our biggest film so far this year which is remarkable when you think that it's an 18 certificate and a horror film, so the audience is far more limited than for a family film. It's doing 10 times better where it's showing in 3D than flat and accounted for 30 per cent of our business last week. I think that definitely shows there's a big interest in 3D. To be honest, it has really surprised us even though it's our first film in 3D. And if my Bloody Valentine can do that well then Bolt could be huge.

"Bolt has the same feel for me as Finding Nemo and ticks all the boxes; a good adventure; three or four likeable characters, a bit of Disney message about friendship. I think people will love it."

The attractions of 3D for film studios is clear. It's a unique cinema experience that is hard to pirate, cannot be downloaded illegally on your laptop and doesn't work on your 42in plasma TV. The downside is that it has been tried before in the 1950s and 1980s and was quickly abandoned with the novelty wearing off and film-goers getting fed up of the headache-inducing glasses.

But Tom says: "I think the technology has got much better and I think the quality of the films coming out in 3D will mean that people will want to come and see them."

Karen Fox, of National Amusements, owners of Derby's Cinema De Lux and Showcase multiplexes, agrees.

"Today's 3D digital systems provide an experience that is not 'your mother's 3D'," she says. "It is a completely new technology from that of the early films of the 50s like House of Wax with Vincent Price. The technology was more complicated and the glasses often caused headaches. Today's technology simplifies the process and no more headaches.

"The new 3D has proven to be very popular with our patrons with 3D films greatly out-grossing the 2D digital version. 3D films provide a unique experience for movie-goers, offering them a viewing experience that they cannot have in their own home."

Bolt's success in the 3D format will be the biggest indicator to date of the potential future for 3D.

It opens today in 3D and next Friday in 2D and its co-director, Chris Williams, told Qt that it's now up to cinema-goers to decide what they want.

He says: "As to whether this is the future of movies, the nice thing about 3D at the moment is that it's in the hands of the audience. They are building more 3D cinemas and at the moment they are filling those cinemas. So it seems there's a demand. It will be interesting to see how far this revolution goes and that will depend on which version audiences choose to see. It's certainly something the studios are embracing, they are very excited about it because it does seem that people who see the movies enjoy them.

"When they first started talking about 3D for Bolt, I was really concerned about going back to those old 3D movies where it's a gimmick and you go to see things flying at you. They were pitching it for Bolt as a more immersive experience but I thought it might be a less immersive experience because you are constantly reminded how artificial it is and it's impossible to get lost in the story. I was very concerned but I'm glad to see what Bolt has become because we were never asked to throw anything at the camera. It was a 2D choice we made as to what was the right shot.

"It's a more comfortable experience and audiences have said, 'I forgot it was in 3D'. That's perfect for me because they have got absorbed by the story."