The First 4DX Movie Theater in the U.S. Opens With a Jolt
The U.S.’ first “4DX” movie theater opened this week at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 in Los Angeles — and Yahoo Movies was on the scene to hear, see, smell, and feel the action during a press screening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Using technology developed by South Korean company CJ 4DPlex, the Marvel movie attempted to stimulate all five senses in the manner of Disneyland’s Star Tours ride. Theater seats jolted in sync with the onscreen action — thudding when Cap’s shield flies through a rapid drum of bullets during a Black Widow-led gunfight, as little gusts of air blew against one’s face simulating the whoosh of bullets.
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The effects which produced the biggest reactions: the smell of smoke after major explosions; water spurts when Fury’s bullet-riddled SUV skidded into a puddle; and the seats felt pitched and tilted in circular motions, feeling as though they were suspended in air during flying scenes and aerial shots. But even the mundane moments were given 4D tweaks – the seats gave a little jiggle when Nick Fury inserted his top-secret thumb drive into a USB port.
4DX has been jostling and spraying audiences abroad for five years; the movie tech has expanded to more than 16,000 seats in 109 theaters in 26 countries. Tickets to see Transformers: Age of Extinction in 4DX in L.A. run $26.75 — $8 more than a 3D screening.
Photo credits: CJ 4DPlex, Meriah Doty/Yahoo Movies
