Chris Hemsworth will play the villain Dementus in Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga.”
Warner Bros. Discovery
Red paint flares explode, painting the theater screen in a blood-red cloud in “Furiosa,” the new Mad Max movie directed by George Miller.
A few feet away, a plume of mist drifts in between rows of gyroscopic 4DX chairs, catching the red hue of the screen as if a flare had crossed the fourth wall and invaded the cinema. As the mist clears, Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth, comes into focus and smiles at the audience.
That’s the 4DX viewing experience. It’s one of many moments of multisensory stimulation programmed into “Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga,” which hits theaters on Friday, to immerse audiences in Miller’s latest visit to the vast wilderness. And it’s a key value proposition at a time when cinemas are desperate to lure back moviegoers, especially younger audiences.
“We’re making movies that are different,” said Duncan MacDonald, head of worldwide marketing and theatrical development for CJ 4DPlex Americas. “Our motion capabilities and environmental effects are what really set us apart.”
In the wake of the pandemic, audiences have become accustomed to shorter theatrical run times and access to more content at home. At the same time, pandemic-related closures and production halts due to two Hollywood strikes have severely limited the amount of content available in theaters. As a result, consumers have lost the habit of going to the movies.
Audiences returning to cinemas are looking for a premium experience, with higher quality images and sound, and are willing to pay more for it. 4DX is one option in the premium large-screen cinema market, IMAX and Dolby Cinema. CJ 4DPlex also owns the ScreenX format.
“The premium cinema experience is key to the health of the industry, and with fewer movies on average hitting the market compared to past years, the importance and essential nature of companies like 4DX is clearly highlighted,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
4DX uses motion seats, live-action effects and sensory elements to immerse audiences in the film. Warner Bros.’ The company played a chocolate scent called “Wonka” during the screening.
Don Savant, CEO of CJ 4D Poly Americas, said the experience is “complementary” to the everyday moviegoing experience, noting that 4DX cinemas are attracting younger consumers in their teens to 30s who are looking for a more experiential viewing experience.
4DX is a 4D movie projection system developed by CJ 4DPlex, a subsidiary of South Korean cinema chain CJ CGV, that enhances movies with a range of practical effects, including motion 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, bringing tickets to the range of $20 to $30 apiece, but the extra cost doesn’t seem to be putting off audiences.
Last year, 4DX brought in $53.4 million in ticket sales at U.S. theaters.
“What’s noteworthy is that the high price of premium movie tickets is not seen as an obstacle to success, but rather as a solid value proposition for fans looking for the best big-screen experience,” Dergarabedian said. “This is good news for theater owners who are seeing fewer movies release in their markets, allowing them to increase revenue per ticket while still providing audiences with a great experience and encouraging more frequent visits to multiplexes.”
And 4DX is becoming even more popular for blockbuster movies. Disney “Avatar: The Way of Water” grossed $83.6 million on 4DX screens, about 3.6% of the total movie gross, and is currently the highest-grossing movie on that format, according to Savant.
“We want to give our guests an easy excuse to get out of the house and visit their local Regal movie theater,” said Eduardo Acuna, CEO of Regal Cinemas. “Premium formats like 4DX deliver a movie-watching experience that no home theater setup can replicate. Each premium format serves a different purpose in storytelling and each enhances the moviegoing experience in a unique, immersive way.”
Acuña noted that 4DX theaters have been a “great success commercially” for Regal.
Regal is the largest 4DX screen operator in the country, with 62 locations, 50 of which are in the U.S. and Canada. Globally, there are nearly 750 4DX screens with numerous cinema partners, with the largest numbers in Asia and Europe.
Savant said 4DX is adding about 25 to 30 screens a year around the world, but hopes to grow that number to 50 to 60 a year. The company aims to have about 1,200 4DX installations over the next five years. On average, each theater will have about 140 seats.
When moviegoers leave their couches and head to a 4DX theater to see Warner Bros.’ Furiosa, they’ll feel the rumble of motorcycle engines racing through the desert, smell the scent of gunpowder in the air during epic gun battles and even feel soft splashes of water bouncing off of their faces as characters on screen.
Last year, 4DX screened more than 100 films for an enhanced viewing experience, of which 40 to 45 were Hollywood blockbusters, Savant said, along with concert content, musical sing-alongs, anniversary films and local-language movies.
Typically, Seoul-based 4DX programmers need two to three weeks to create motion and special effects, but Savant said they can complete a film in one week if necessary, and 4DX can program three titles at a time.
Both McDonald and Savant called 4DX programmers “artists” and likened the process, from the subwoofers in the seats to the smoke machines, to different brush strokes on a work of art.
“Every film is different,” MacDonald said, “so we look at the nuances of the different films we have and how they’re programmed.”
In some cases, the filmmaker may get involved and suggest when a particular effect should be used and how subtle or exaggerated the effect should feel or look.
“This is the most dynamic way of looking at it. [a film]” Savant said.
