D-BOX Seats: Earlier this year, attendees of a
John Carter screening were treated to motion technology company
D-BOX’s
first UK test of their shifting and vibrating movie theater seats. While some may associate moving chairs with a Disneyland attraction,
Guy Marcoux of D-BOX explains that they "are trying to reflect everything you would feel in real life without crossing that line of being like a theme park ride. We are trying to get a mix between motion and emotion." Should anyone be concerned about the threat of popcorn or soda spills—or even motion sickness—the seats offer individual controls that can be adjusted to accommodate each viewer's motion threshold.
Edible Cinema: London’s
Electric Cinema recently introduced a new experimental film series, called
Edible Cinema, which incorporates taste, scent and texture into movie viewing. At the beginning of each movie, the audience receives a collection of numbered packages and cups containing a curated selection of foods and beverages. As the screening progresses, an usher holds up a numbered placard that indicates which treat to try. For example, the opening scene of
Pan’s Labyrinth begins with Ofelia and her mother being transported through the forest of their new home. Viewers are then instructed to try the pine-scented popcorn with a burnt woody aroma, the first of eight parcels used to evoke a multi-dimensional sensory experience.
Smell-O-Vision: Major Cineplex Group and Korean company
CJ 4DPlex have partnered to introduce 4D technology into 200 theaters in the US over the next five years. As an attempt to deepen audience engagement, theaters will use back-ticklers, strobe lights and even Smell-O-Vision to capture their attention. Baby Boomers may recall Smell-O-Vision from the 1960s, but the 4DX technology has matured it, as it now emits more than 1,000 odors, such as burnt rubber, gunpowder, perfume, seawater, and coffee. The interactive seats are being tested in South Korea, Thailand and Mexico but, for an extra $8 per ticket, some wonder if such gimmicks will mirror the up-and-down trajectory of 3D.
