When the lights in a movie theatre go dark, audiences usually don’t know exactly what they’re going to feel, but Cineplex Entertainment’s plans to introduce 4D into a Toronto theatre this summer mean the experience filmmakers and advertisers offer could be nearly as physical as it is emotional.
The company is currently refurbishing an auditorium at its Yonge and Dundas location with seats that will move, as well as the ability to inject smells and other effects. Cineplex will be partnering with Los Angeles-based CJ 4DPlex, which offers the technology that is already been cropping up in dozens of cities around the world.
Cineplex communications director Sarah Van Lange said the introduction of 4D was a natural evolution of other high-end entertainment experiences such as the company’s VIP theatres and 3D auditoriums.
“Canadians love premium movie experiences and they love them more than our counterparts in the U.S.,” she said, adding that 80% of the tickets sold for Star Wars: The Force Awakens were for some form of premium experience. In Cineplex’s recent Q4 year-end earnings and in the fourth quarter alone, premium movie experiences accounted for 46.8% of its total box office revenues.
According to CJ 4DPlex marketing manager Yohan Song, advertisers have already started taking advantage of the technology in pre-show ads. This includes Audi, which has run 4D commercials in Korea, for instance, using vibrations in the chairs to simulate the experience of riding in the vehicle over rough terrain. Last year Brava, a beer company from Costa Rica, asked the company to help develop a scent to accompany an ad for its beverages.
“There’s a wide spectrum who are willing to utilize the technology to brand and promote their products and services,” he said.
Brandon Choi, CJ 4DPlex’s COO, said the size of the chairs and other equipment required for 4D experiences often means reduced capacity inside auditoriums – from 300 to 88 in Cineplex’s case – but it also tends to drive occupancy rates significantly.
Of course, not every film is a good candidate for 4D, but having grown to 37 countries and relationships with many distributors, he said the company has gotten good at choosing the right fit. He cited San Andreas and Into The Storm as some of the successful examples. Children’s fare is another genre.
“It was great with Frozen – there were a lot of rain and snow effects. The kids went crazy about it,” he said.
Van Lange said the launch title for its 4D auditorium had not been chosen, but suggested that just as recent U.S. theatre firms have launched with Batman vs. Superman, Cineplex would likely choose a similar blockbuster-style movie.
