Iron Man 3 will become the first film in Japan to be screened in the new 4DX format when it opens in movie theaters next week, according to Hollywood Reporter. A sort of Smell-O-Vision plus, the 4DX format supplements moving pictures and sound with an array of effects, including smells, wobbly seats, strobe lighting and bubbles.
Perhaps wobbly seats is a little unfair. Chairs geared for 4DX roll, pitch and yaw, to reflect the onscreen action, though I rather like the idea of being thrown wildly about through Pride and Prejudice or some other talky period drama.
Aquaphobes are advised to steer clear: 4DX-equipped theaters can apparently blast jets of air and water at the heads of unsuspecting film-goers. Surely, then, special editions of Singin' in the Rain and The Poseidon Adventure are crying out to be made, though I, for one, would've paid good money to be distracted by an arcing jet of ice-cold water in my face for the full 136 minutes of The Phantom Menace.
Strobe lighting, smoke, bubbles and aromas round out the effects, the format supposedly capable of emitting 1,000 different scents.
As with 3D, Japanese audiences will be asked to pay more for the privilege of sensory overload, to the tune of an extra ¥1,300 (US$13) for 3D versions of the films (and about $10 more in 2D). The format has already been installed in theaters as far flung as China, Russia, Mexico, Thailand, Israel and South Korea where the system was developed by CJ Group.
The 4DX format should launch in the US later this year, though film-goers can get a taste of almost all of the effects by attending a screening filled with unsupervised teenagers.
Sources: Hollywood Reporter
