Chris Hemsworth stars because the villainous Dementus in Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”
Warner Bros. Discovery
In George Miller’s recent Mad Max film “Furiosa,” a red paint flare explodes and casts the theater screen in a saturated crimson cloud.
Feet away, among the many rows of gyroscopic 4DX chairs, plumes of fog roll in, catching the red hue from the screen as if the flare one way or the other transcended the fourth wall and infiltrated the cinema. The fog parts, Chris Hemsworth as Dementus comes into focus and grins on the audience.
That is the 4DX viewing experience. It’s considered one of many multi-sensory moments programmed for “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” which opened in theaters Friday, to be able to immerse audiences in Miller’s latest visit to the vast Wasteland. And it amounts to a key value proposition at a time when cinemas are eager to lure back moviegoers, particularly those within the younger demographics.
“We make movies different,” said Duncan Macdonald, head of worldwide marketing and theatre development for CJ 4DPlex Americas. “We’re so different on the market, with our motion capabilities and our environmental effects.”
Within the wake of the pandemic, audiences grew used to shorter theatrical windows and gaining access to more content at home. At the identical time, pandemic-related shutdowns and production stalls from two Hollywood strikes greatly limited the quantity of content hitting theaters. Consequently, consumers fell out of the habit of going to cinemas.
Moviegoers who’ve returned are in search of premium experiences — higher-quality picture and sound — and are willing to pay more for those tickets. 4DX is one option within the premium large format market alongside the likes of IMAX and Dolby Cinema. CJ 4DPlex also owns the ScreenX format.
“Premium movie theatre experiences are key to the health of the industry and with fewer movies within the marketplace on average than in past years, the importance and essential nature of an organization like 4DX comes into sharp focus,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
4DX utilizes motion seats, practical effects and sensory elements to immerse viewers in a movie. For Warner Bros.’ “Wonka,” the corporate piped within the smell of chocolate during screenings.
CJ 4DPlex Americas CEO Don Savant says the experience is “complementary” to routine moviegoing experiences, noting that 4DX cinemas attract younger consumers, predominantly within the 10-to-30 age range, who’re in search of more experiential viewing.
4DX is a 4D film presentation system developed by CJ 4DPlex, a subsidiary of South Korean cinema chain CJ CGV. It allows movies to be augmented with various practical effects, including motion-seats, wind, strobe lights, simulated-snow, and smells.
CJ 4DPlex
For consumers, the 4DX experience costs a median of $8 greater than traditional ticket prices, meaning a ticket can range from $20 to $30 each. But the additional cost doesn’t appear to be detering audiences.
Last yr, 4DX’s domestic locations tallied $53.4 million in ticket sales.
“Notably, the upper price for premium movie tickets isn’t a barrier to their success but somewhat seen as representing a solid value proposition for fans in pursuit of the perfect possible big screen experience,” Dergarabedian said. “This is sweet news for theater owners who, facing fewer wide release movies within the marketplace, can boost revenues on a per-ticket basis while giving their patrons an amazing experience that may have them returning to the multiplex more often.”Â
And, for major blockbuster titles, 4DX is proving to be much more popular. Ticket sales for Disney’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” topped $83.6 million from 4DX screens, or about 3.6% of the film’s total box office haul. It’s currently the highest-grossing film for the screen format, Savant said.
“We would like to offer customers a simple excuse to go away their homes and visit a neighborhood Regal theater,” said CEO Eduardo Acuna of Regal Cinemas. “Premium formats like 4DX offer a movie-watching experience that can not be replicated by any home theater setup. Each premium format serves a special purpose for storytelling, and every increases the enjoyment of watching a movie in a special and immersive way.”
Acuna noted that 4DX auditoriums are “a powerful box office performer” for Regal.
Regal is the biggest operator of 4DX screens domestically, with 50 of the 62 locations present in the U.S. and Canada. Globally, there are nearly 750 4DX screens with quite a few theatrical partners. The best volume is in Asia and Europe.
Savant said 4DX is adding around 25 to 30 screens per yr worldwide, but is seeking to push that figure as much as 50 to 60 screens a yr. The corporate is in search of to have around 1,200 4DX locations in the following five years. On average, each theater has around 140 seats.
Moviegoers who enterprise away from their couches and right into a 4DX theater to see Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa” will feel from their seat the rev of motorcycles racing through the desert, smell gunpowder within the air during epic gun battles and even get hit with a soft spray of water because it’s flicked within the face of a personality on the screen.
Last yr, 4DX programmed greater than 100 movies for the souped-up viewing experience. Around 40 to 45 of those were major Hollywood titles, Savant said. Others included concert content, musical singalongs, anniversary titles and native language movies.
Typically, the 4DX programmers, who’re based in Seoul, have two to a few weeks to craft the motion and computer graphics, although Savant said they will turn around a movie in every week if the necessity arises. 4DX can program three titles at a time.
Each Macdonald and Savant referred to 4DX’s programmers as “artists,” describing the method — from the subwoofers within the seats to the fog machines — as different brushstrokes in a murals.
“Every film is different,” said Macdonald. “So we have a look at the nuances of the several movies that we’ve got and the way those are programmed.”
In some cases filmmakers will get entangled, offering suggestions for when certain effects needs to be used and the way subtle or bombastic they need to feel or look.
“It’s essentially the most dynamic approach to see [a film],” Savant said.
