Seoul-based CJ 4DPlex bills itself as “the world’s first 4D cinema company.” The idea is to renovate or create theaters that are more like theme park rides with options to watch major movies and add motion chairs, water, wind, snow, lightning, scents and other special effects coordinated with the on-screen action.
CJ 4DPLEX is part of the CJ Group which also operates a chain of conventional movie screens, the three-sided ScreenX movie chain, and various lobby experiences that include VR and VR plus motion.
At CinemaCon, the company built a small ScreenX theater and showed clips of content with and without 4D effects and motion chairs. The motion is not something I find particularly attractive, but then again, I am not 14 years old – and this is clearly targeted at a youth audience. The side content is not meant to distract from the main screen – the company was careful to point out that they never alter the main screen content. It just provides a more immersive element to the experience to help engage your peripheral vision. The main screen was silver and the side screens had a special fabric. Content on the side screens seems to be lower resolution.
In the past 12 months, ScreenX has seen a surge in the number of ScreenX installed auditoriums, which have grown from 107 to 142. Additional screens are expected to be equipped with the unique technology across China, the U.S. and Europe in the coming year, expanding current total screens by 25% by the end of 2018. Barco has shut down its 3-side movie platform Barco Escape.
In a conversation with personnel, we were told that CJ 4DPlex works directly with the studios to create the side screen content. Only select scenes are treated to the ScreenX effect – current around 25-30 minutes. CJ 4DPlex may get some assets from the studios to work with and some time they do their own CG generation. Finished content is always reviewed and approved by the studios. CJ has offices in Hollywood and Beijing to facilitate this approval process. Total development time can be 2-6 months, so they need to work with the studios during the post production process to have ScreenX solutions ready for the main movie release date.
There were also three VR experiences (pod, racecar, snowboard) and the first VR plus motion effects platform demo. The VR was typical of current headsets with short 4-6 minute vignettes. These are clearly targeted for cinema lobbies and VRcades to generate extra revenue.
The company did not announce any new motion or effects hardware, but it did announce a slew of design wins (detailed in round up). There are now over 500 4DPlex theaters worldwide. -CC
