Shaking Seats and Rolling Fog: How 4DX is Creating a Niche Cinema Market

In George Miller’s novel Mad Max film “Furiosa,” a red flare explodes, casting a saturated crimson cloud across the movie screen.

A few feet away, plumes of fog roll in between the rows of gyroscopic 4DX seats, capturing the red tint of the screen, as if a flare had somehow breached the fourth wall and entered the theater. The fog clears, Chris Hemsworth, as Dementus focuses on himself and smiles at the audience.

Here’s your 4DX viewing experience. It’s one of many multi-sensory moments programmed into Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga, which opened in theaters on Friday, to immerse viewers in Miller’s final visit to the extensive wasteland. This represents a key value proposition at a time when theaters are desperate to attract moviegoers, especially those from younger demographics.

“We make movies unique,” ​​said Duncan Macdonald, director of global marketing and theater development for CJ 4DPlex Americas. “We are so different in our ability to move and our impact on the environment.”

Amid the pandemic, audiences have become accustomed to shorter cinema windows and access to more content at home. At the same time, pandemic-related production shutdowns and delays caused by two Hollywood strikes have significantly circumscribed the amount of content reaching theaters. As a result, consumers have fallen out of the habit of going to cinemas.

Returning moviegoers are looking for a premium experience — higher picture and sound quality — and are willing to pay more for those tickets. 4DX is one of the options in the premium huge format market, alongside the likes of IMAX and Dolby cinema. CJ 4Dplex also owns the ScreenX format.

“Premium cinema experiences are key to the industry’s health, and with fewer films on average in the market than in recent years, the importance and fundamental nature of a company like 4DX comes into edged focus,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

4DX uses moving seats, practical effects and sensory elements to immerse viewers in the film. For Warner Bros. “Wonka” – during the shows, the company boasted about the smell of chocolate.

CJ 4DPlex Americas CEO Don Savant says the experience “complements” routine moviegoing and notes that 4DX theaters attract younger consumers, primarily between the ages of 10 and 30, who are looking for a viewing experience.

For consumers, a 4DX ride costs on average $8 more than classic ticket prices, which means the ticket price can range from $20 to $30. However, the additional costs do not seem to deter recipients.

Last year, 4DX ticket sales at domestic theaters totaled $53.4 million.

“In particular, the higher price of premium cinema tickets is not a hindrance to their success, but rather is seen as a solid proposition for fans who want the best possible experience on the gigantic screen,” Dergarabedian said. “This is good news for theater owners who, with fewer films in wide release, can escalate revenues per ticket while providing their audiences with a great experience that will keep them coming back to the multiplex more often.”

In the case of the greatest hits, 4DX proves to be even more popular. Ticket sales for Disney “Avatar: The Waterway” grossed over $83.6 million on 4DX screens, representing approximately 3.6% of the film’s total box office gross. Savant stated that it is currently the highest-grossing film in the screen format.

“We want to give customers an effortless excuse to leave their homes and visit their local Regal theater,” said Regal Cinemas CEO Eduardo Acuna. “Premium formats like 4DX offer a movie viewing experience that cannot be reproduced in any home theater system. Each premium format serves a different storytelling purpose, and each enhances the viewing experience in a different and engaging way.”

Acuna noted that 4DX auditoriums are a “mighty source of box office revenue” for Regal.

Regal is the largest 4DX screen operator in the country, with 50 of 62 locations in the U.S. and Canada. There are almost 750 4DX screens around the world with numerous cinema partners. The highest volume occurs in Asia and Europe.

Savant said 4DX is adding about 25 to 30 screens a year globally, but plans to escalate that number to 50 to 60 screens a year. The company wants to have about 1,200 4DX locations in the next five years. Each theater has an average of about 140 seats.

Moviegoers who dare to leave their couches and head to a 4DX theater to see Warner Bros. “Furiosa” will feel the revs of motorcycles speeding through the desert from his seat, smell gunpowder in the air during epic shootouts, and even be hit by a gentle jet of water thrown into the face of characters on screen.

Last year, 4DX programmed over 100 movies to provide an even better viewing experience. Savant said about 40 to 45 of them are major Hollywood titles. Others included concert content, musical chants, anniversary titles and local language films.

Typically, 4DX programmers based in Seoul have two to three weeks to create motion and special effects, although Savant said they can shoot a movie within a week if needed. 4DX can program three titles at once.

Both Macdonald and Savant called 4DX programmers “artists,” describing the process – from in-seat subwoofers to fog machines – as different brushstrokes in a work of art.

“Every movie is different,” Macdonald said. “So we look at the nuances of the different films we have and how they are programmed.”

In some cases, filmmakers chime in, offering suggestions on when to employ certain effects and how subtle or bombastic they should look or feel.

“It’s the most lively way of looking at it [a film]– Savant said.