Chris Hemsworth stars as the villainous Dementus in the Warner Bros. “Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga”.
Warner Bros. Discovery
In George Miller’s new Mad Max film Furiosa, red paint explodes and casts the theater screen in a deep crimson cloud.
A few feet away, among the rows of gyroscopic 4DX chairs, jets of fog roll in, capturing the red hue from the screen, as if the light signal has somehow transcended the fourth wall and entered the theater. Parts of the fog, Chris Hemsworth as Dementus comes into focus and smiles at the audience.
This is the 4DX viewing experience. It’s one of many multisensory moments programmed for “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” which opens in theaters Friday, to immerse audiences in Miller’s latest visit to the vast Wasteland. And that amounts to a key value proposition at a time when theaters are desperate to win back moviegoers, especially those from a younger demographic.
“We make movies different,” said Duncan McDonald, head of worldwide cinema marketing and development for CJ 4DPlex Americas. “We’re so different there, with our mobility options and our environmental effects.”
Since the pandemic, audiences have become accustomed to shorter theatrical windows and access to more content at home. At the same time, pandemic-related shutdowns and production stalls from two Hollywood strikes have severely limited the amount of content hitting theaters. As a result, consumers have given up the habit of going to cinemas.
Returning moviegoers are looking for premium experiences — higher quality picture and sound — and are willing to pay more for those tickets. 4DX is one of the options in the premium large format market, among others IMAX and Dolby Cinema. The CJ 4DPlex also has the ScreenX format.
“Premium theater experiences are key to the health of the industry, and with fewer movies on average in the market than in recent years, the importance and essence of a company like 4DX comes into sharp focus,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
4DX uses moving seats, practical effects and sensory elements to immerse viewers in a film. For Warner Bros. “Wonka”, the company blew the smell of chocolate during screenings.
CJ 4DPlex Americas CEO Don Savant says the experience is “complementary” to routine movie-going experiences, noting that 4DX theaters are attracting younger consumers, primarily in the 10- to 30-year-old age range, who are looking for a more immersive experience. watching.
4DX is a 4D movie presentation system developed by CJ 4DPlex, a subsidiary of South Korean cinema chain CJ CGV. It allows movies to be augmented with a variety of practical effects, including moving seats, wind, strobe lights, simulated snow and scents.
CJ 4DPlex
For consumers, the 4DX experience costs an average of $8 more than traditional ticket prices, meaning a ticket can range from $20 to $30 each. But the extra cost doesn’t seem to deter audiences.
Last year, domestic 4DX locations reported $53.4 million in ticket sales.
“Notably, the higher price for premium movie tickets is not a barrier to their success, but rather is seen as representing a solid value proposition for fans in pursuit of the best possible big screen experience,” said Dergarabedian. “This is good news for theater owners, who, faced with fewer blockbusters on the market, can increase revenue on a per-ticket basis while providing their patrons with a great experience that will keep them coming back the multiplex more often.’
And for big hit titles, 4DX is proving to be even more popular. Sale of tickets for of Disney Avatar: The Last Airbender crossed $83.6 million from 4DX screens, or about 3.6% of the film’s total box office take. It is currently the highest-grossing film for the screen format, Sawant said.
“We want to give customers an easy excuse to leave their homes and visit a local Regal theater,” said CEO Eduardo Acuna of Regal Cinemas. “Premium formats like 4DX offer a movie-watching experience that cannot be replicated by any home theater system. Each premium format serves a different storytelling purpose and each enhances the enjoyment of watching a movie in a different and compelling way.”
Acuna noted that 4DX auditoriums are a “strong box office performer” for Regal.
Regal is the largest operator of 4DX screens in the country, with 50 of its 62 locations located in the US and Canada. There are nearly 750 4DX screens worldwide with multiple theater partners. The largest volume is in Asia and Europe.
Savant said 4DX adds about 25 to 30 screens a year globally, but aims to increase that figure to 50 to 60 screens a year. The company aims to have about 1,200 4DX locations in the next five years. On average, each hall has about 140 seats.
Moviegoers who dare to get off their couches and into a 4DX theater to see Warner Bros. “Furiosa” will feel from her seat the revs of motorcycles racing through the desert, smell gunpowder in the air during epic gun battles, and even be hit with a soft stream of water as she throws herself in the face of an on-screen character.
Last year, 4DX programmed more than 100 movies for a better viewing experience. About 40 to 45 of those are major Hollywood titles, Sawant said. Others included concert content, music tracks, anniversary titles and local language films.
Typically, the 4DX programmers, who are based in Seoul, have two to three weeks to craft the motion and special effects, although Savant said they can turn around a film in a week if the need arises. 4DX can program three titles at once.
MacDonald and Savant both referred to 4DX programmers as “artists,” describing the process—from in-seat subwoofers to fog machines—as different brushstrokes in a work of art.
“Every movie is different,” McDonald said. “So we’re looking at the nuances of the different films that we have and how they’re programmed.”
In some cases, directors will step in, offering suggestions about when certain effects should be used and how subtle or bombastic they should feel or look.
“It’s the most dynamic way to see it [a film]Sawant said.
