4-D movie theaters: Raising the Bar for Audience Enjoyment

A South Korean company hopes to change the movie experience forever with the revolutionary 4DPlex System. The CJ Group, operating the largest theater chain in Asia, is close to finalizing a deal with American theaters to open 200 4-D movie theaters within five years. The first locations will be in Los Angeles and New York and other major cities.  The theater will have around 240 seats. 

The CJ Group has already created 29 4D theaters in China, South Korea, Thailand, and Mexico. They all do very well and have sell-out crowds.  Chris Aronson, head of domestic distribution for 20^th Century Fox said to the LA Times in a 2012 article, “"We've done a number of films with them, and they've been very successful. It's certainly something that's unique to the theater environment." This is promising information for those who want to see mainstream movies in 4-D.

4-D incorporates movement, sound, smells, and 3-D effects into the movie experience. If you are watching a splash in the ocean for example, nozzles in the seats will squirt you with a mist of water. The same nozzles will also emit scents such as flowers and gunpowder and even trash. The nozzles have 1000 options including blowing bubbles. If there is an earthquake in the movie, the seats will rumble and vibrate. In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, to imitate the feeling of being on a rowboat, the seats will gently oscillate, a fan creates a light breeze, and fog fills the room along with the salty scent of the ocean, all at the same time.

Concerns of sensory overload? According to programmer Catherine Yi that won’t be an issue. Before premiering the movie, they monitor the heart rate and perform other tests to ensure that the audience’s only worry is finding a seat.

What is the cost of these theaters, you may ask? It costs $2 million to design and create a 4DPlex movie theater. Programming the system is no walk down the yellow brick road either. It takes 16-20 days on a special program specifically designed for each movie. Is it worth the price and time required to operate it?  CJ Group says it is and that the investment is quickly earned due to the popularity of the theaters. In fact, these theaters have drawn approximately 700,000 customers this year alone.    

“It sounds fascinating and I’m sure to enjoy it, but it’s a waste of resources,” Margaret Coe, a camper at Duke Young Writer’s Camp believes.  It seems like most agree with her. According to a survey, the majority of people believe that the 4-D movie theaters are not worth the money. They also agree that in order to enjoy a movie the extra effects are not necessary, the movie is good enough on its own.

So, what do you think? Should we spend this money to do more productive things, such as better the economy and create more jobs?  Would these theaters do exactly that? An even better question, are these effects even needed to enjoy a movie?  Will the talent of the actors and moviemakers be lost in the effects? The answers- only time will tell.