What it's like to see a movie in ScreenX at Mary Pickford; first in Coachella Valley

A new movie-going experience has come to Mary Pickford Theatre is D'Place in Cathedral City, one that will make audiences feel like they're in the midst of all the dizzying and impressive action right before their eyes.

The theater unveiled Wednesday the addition of ScreenX, a 270-degree panoramic viewing experience that extends the movie screen onto the surrounding walls of the auditorium using projectors. That means the magical worlds seen in front of our eyes look and feel closer than before.

This is the first ScreenX screen in the Coachella Valley, and it's one of about 35 theaters in the United States with the technology so far, according to General Manager Ted Hane.

Unlike 3D or RealD 3D screens, ScreenX doesn’t require any special glasses to wear during the films.

As an avid moviegoer myself, I couldn't resist the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. I've heard of ScreenX before, but never had the chance to witness it myself. That is, until I became part of a select group of people invited to Mary Pickford Wednesday to experience the new technology with a special early screening of "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga."

Before diving into all the action, Damon Rubio, president of D’Place Entertainment, shared that the theater has been hoping to integrate ScreenX into its offerings even before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

"We're always looking for the next great movie experience," Rubio said.

That certianly rings true given the theater's past and present offerings. Back in 2017, Mary Pickford unveiled the addition of Barco Escape, an ultra-wide, three-screen format, which was basically ScreenX's predecessor. Similarly, the theater offers D-Box seats, which synchronizes seat motion to what's happening on screen, as well as comfortable reclining chairs.

So how does ScreenX work? Duncan MacDonald with ScreenX explained that projectors are placed on the auditorium's ceiling and cross-project about 50 minutes of exclusive story-enhancing imagery on the side walls. He added that visual artists in Korea bring those images to life.

Walking into the theater, the promo image for "Furiosa" was seen on the main screen, along with dusty orange hues all along the side walls. But to really get a good look at this technology, Rubio and MacDonald demonstrated the format by playing a few scenes from "Top Gun: Maverick."

In the film, Tom Cruise's Maverick tauntingly dogfights Top Gun students by flying past them at unbelievable speeds and "shooting" down their planes. I was already nauseous watching that scene back in 2022, but boy does this screen take it to a whole new level (don't worry, I held it together). The large screen in front really caught my attention with how clear and large each sequence appeared. As I took in the sights around me, the film's mountainous desert scenery seemed so close that it almost felt like I was actually flying alongside Cruise (although I'm very glad I was firmly planted on the ground).

I had a chance to view an advanced screening of "Furiosa" prior to Wednesday, so I was looking forward to revisiting the film on this format. In George Miller's latest film, a prequel to "Mad Max: Fury Road," young Furiosa (played by Alyla Browne and later Anya Taylor-Joy) is snatched from her luscious home and taken to the barren, dusty Wasteland where resources are scarce and men like Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), his Biker Horde and the Citadel leader Immortan Joe rule with fury.

Though her situation seems dire, Furiosa never loses hope that one day she'll find her way back home.

At the start of the film, as young Furiosa picked peaches off a tree, the green leaves took over the side walls of the auditorium, making me feel like I was in the tree with her. On the contrary, once the film shifted to the dusty terrain "Mad Max" is known for, yellow and orange dust clouds picked up all around me. It hit a little too close to home — I was ready for an announcement that Gene Autry Trail or Indian Canyon Drive would be closed at the wash due to dusty conditions.

It's certainly a different viewing experience than I'm used to, and I think it's a step in the right direction for total immersion. Personally, I'd like to see some improvements with the side walls. The main visuals are so beautiful to look at that when you do take a moment to look around, the side colors are muted and don't pop as much, making it not as immersive as it could be. I would have also preferred ScreenX inside a really large auditorium where there's more space to take the view in.

Aside from the visuals, the ScreenX format brings some of the best sound quality I've ever heard. It was so good that I could feel the rumbling of motorbikes and car engines in my seat. Officials told me that the sound system had to be upgraded to accommodate for ScreenX, leading to the clear sound.

There will be 24 ScreenX films available this year, and upcoming titles include "Despicable Me 4," "Twisters" and "Deadpool & Wolverine." Those eager to try out ScreenX can do so this weekend with "Furiosa."

So, how much do tickets cost? The price of a regular movie ticket (which varies depending on the time of day) plus an upcharge of $6.95, according to Rubio.

I'll be interested to see if more of these screens come to the Coachella Valley soon, but either way, it's exciting that Mary Pickford is one of the leaders in bringing this new technology to our area. Rubio and MacDonald believe ScreenX is the future of cinema and that it will become the standard in movie theaters across the country. If you ask me, anything that gets people going to theaters and enjoying the latest that Hollywood has to offer is a homerun in my book.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Mary Pickford Theatre in Cathedral City unveils first ScreenX screen