Are 4-D Movies the Next Big Thing for U.S. Theaters?
SodaHead Film
2012/07/08 23:15:21
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In places like South Korea, Thailand, and Mexico, 4-D movies are wildly popular. But will they be as successful in America?
Companies like the South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, one of the companies behind 4-D technology, certainly hope so. And U.S. theaters, desperate to attract moviegoers back to cinemas, are taking the bait. One nationwide chain is close so finalizing a deal that would create nearly 200 4-D theaters in the next five years.
So what does 4-D actually entail? According to the article by the Los Angeles Times, it means rumbling seats, back ticklers, strobe light flashes, fans, smoke, sprayed water, and odors from a collection of 1,000 scents. Sound exciting . . . but be prepared to shell out an additional $8 beyond the already incredibly expensive cost of a movie ticket.
Like 3-D before it, we’re skeptical that 4-D is going to take off broadly. But if Cinepolis’s success in Mexico is any indication, the technology may end up being more popular than we predict. Cinepolis is the world’s fourth-largest movie chain, and they currently have 4-D theaters in Mexico, Brazil, and Peru. They have found that 4-D brings in two to three times the business of conventional theaters.
"If you try to get a ticket on an opening night, tickets are sold out," said Luis Villavivencio, brand director for Cinepolis. "Mexican audiences really love this."
So, what do you think SodaHeads? Are 4-D movies the next big thing for U.S. theaters?
Companies like the South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, one of the companies behind 4-D technology, certainly hope so. And U.S. theaters, desperate to attract moviegoers back to cinemas, are taking the bait. One nationwide chain is close so finalizing a deal that would create nearly 200 4-D theaters in the next five years.
So what does 4-D actually entail? According to the article by the Los Angeles Times, it means rumbling seats, back ticklers, strobe light flashes, fans, smoke, sprayed water, and odors from a collection of 1,000 scents. Sound exciting . . . but be prepared to shell out an additional $8 beyond the already incredibly expensive cost of a movie ticket.
Like 3-D before it, we’re skeptical that 4-D is going to take off broadly. But if Cinepolis’s success in Mexico is any indication, the technology may end up being more popular than we predict. Cinepolis is the world’s fourth-largest movie chain, and they currently have 4-D theaters in Mexico, Brazil, and Peru. They have found that 4-D brings in two to three times the business of conventional theaters.
"If you try to get a ticket on an opening night, tickets are sold out," said Luis Villavivencio, brand director for Cinepolis. "Mexican audiences really love this."
So, what do you think SodaHeads? Are 4-D movies the next big thing for U.S. theaters?
Read More: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/coto...
Top Opinion
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Simmering Frog 2012/07/08 23:17:25
Then again, that would be epic. It was the last time it happened...
;-)
They should all go to the theatre and watch plays if they want water and smoke. Those are good, too.
the movies already being produced are NOT even worth seeing in the first place ..
(and definitely not worth the ticket prices charged as it exists)
"OMFG WE HAVE TO GO SEE IT!" - every impressionable american idiot
In all honesty, while I would try a "4D" movie experience once... it would be as a novelty that I would probably ignore the rest of my life. I like 2D movies because they're less annoying to the eyes, though I have been getting used to 3D because the local movie theater runs 3D movies more often than 2D, so whenever I want to go I learn that the only conveniently-timed movie is in 3D. And it annoys me to no ends. I don't want to be immersed by scents, strobe lights, or water, fans, smoke, or vibrating chairs. It's like giving you half-immersion in the scene. Not quite enough to really feel like you're there... but enough that it could potentially annoy me to no end.
Get me one of these:
When I have a holodeck with some real holonovels (think of ones with endings as diverse as Tuvok's "Voyager Mutiny" training scenario), then I'll accept more immersion than what we have already.