4D venue complete with motion-enhanced seating and multisensory olfactory technology.
4D venue complete with motion-enhanced seating and multisensory olfactory technology

4D film is a presentation system combining motion pictures with synchronized physical effects that occur in the theater. Effects simulated in 4D films include, but are not limited to, motion, vibration, scent, rain, mist, bubbles, fog, smoke, wind, temperature changes, and strobe lights.[1][2] Seats in 4D venues vibrate and move during these multisensory presentations.

As of 2022, 4D films are exhibited in more than 65 countries globally.[3] 4D motion pictures are also exhibited in theme parks.[4]

History

The term "4D film" is an extension of 3D film, which gives the illusion of three-dimensional solidity.[5] Precursors of the modern 4D film presentation include Sensurround, which debuted in 1974 with the film Earthquake. Only a few films were presented in Sensurround, and it was supplanted by Dolby Stereo in 1977, which featured extended low frequencies and made subwoofers a common addition to cinema.[6] Other notable efforts at pushing the boundaries of the film viewing experience include Fantasound, the first use of stereo sound; Cinemiracle and Cinerama, both widescreen formats utilizing multiple projectors; and Smell-O-Vision.

The Sensorium is regarded as the world's first commercial 4D film and was first screened in 1984 at Six Flags Power Plant in Baltimore. It was produced in partnership with Landmark Entertainment.[7]

4DX, D-Box Technologies, and Mediamation all currently integrate 4D technology in global stadium seating multiplexes.[8]

List of 4D presentation systems for film theatres

The following is a list of 4D presentation systems developed for traditional film theatres.

Overview of 4D providers
Format Date Developer 3D format Motion seat Effects Remarks Notes
4DX CJ 4D Plex Stereoscopic 3D yes motion, vibration, scent/olfactory, water sprays, wind/air, snow, fog, strobes, lightning, bubbles Cineworld, Cinépolis
D-Box D-Box Technologies Stereoscopic 3D yes motion, vibration Cinemark
MX4D[9] MediaMation Stereoscopic 3D yes motion, vibration, scent/olfactory, water sprays, wind/air, snow, fog, strobes, lightning, bubbles Paramount, Showcase
4D E-Motion Lumma Stereoscopic 3D yes motion, vibration, scent/olfactory, water sprays, air shots, wind, strobes, colour lights, fog, bubbles, snow
(Not named by developer) Red Rover Stereoscopic 3D yes motion, water sprays, wind/air, scent/olfactory, fog, strobes, bubbles, Branded as Super 4D in Lotte Cinema installations.

Selected filmography

Title Year Release venue/Country Notes
The Sensorium 1984 Six Flags Power Plant, Baltimore, MD The first 4D film
Captain EO 1986 Epcot, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland Closed in the mid-late 1990s and reopened in 2010 as a tribute to the late Michael Jackson.
Muppet*Vision 3D 1991 Disney's Hollywood Studios Directed by Jim Henson
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 1994 Epcot, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland Sponsored by Kodak, closed in all locations in May 2010 and was replaced with Captain EO.
Terminator 2 3D: Battle Across Time 1996 Universal Studios Japan Directed by James Cameron
Pirates 4D 1997 SeaWorld Ohio, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Thorpe Park in the UK, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Produced by Busch Entertainment, Directed by Keith Melton.
PandaDroom 2002 The Efteling, Netherlands Same film released in other parks without 4D effects
SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D 2002, 2006 Six Flags over Texas, Moody Gardens, Shedd Aquarium, Adventure Dome, Six Flags Great Adventure, Movie Park Germany, Adventure Aquarium, Kings Dominion, (formerly at Paramount Parks), Indianapolis Zoo, Carowinds, Camden Aquarium (Camden, NJ), Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo and other locations
Mickey's PhilharMagic 2003 Magic Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disney California Adventure. In collaboration with Walt Disney Feature Animation
Haunted Lighthouse[a] 2003 Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo
Shrek 4-D 2003 Universal Studios Florida, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Singapore Released in an anaglyph version as Shrek 3-D on DVD
Borg Invasion 2004 Star Trek: The Experience, at Las Vegas Hilton, US Closed in 2008, to be reopened in Neonopolis, Las Vegas
Fly Me to the Moon 2008 Six Flags over Texas
Journey to the Center of the Earth 4-D Adventure 2008 Vibrant 5D, Raipur, India Stone Mountain Park, Dollywood, Warner Bros. Movie World
Fly High: The Legend of Black Man 2017 India First Indian 4D film; directed by Rahul Rathish Kumar
Avatar in 4D 2009 South Korea, Hong Kong In 4DX. James Cameron, Director
London Eye 4D Experience 2009 London Eye Produced by Centre Screen Productions and Principal Large Format
Beyond All Boundaries 2009 WWII Museum, New Orleans Produced by Tom Hanks
ENERGIA The Spirit of the Earth 2009 Cité de l'énergie, Shawinigan (Quebec) Spectators are seated on a revolving platform. Features wind, snow, smoke, rain, vibration and lighting effects.
"The Garden" 2010 USA pavilion at Expo 2010 The eight-minute film was projected upon five 10-meter-high screens.
Marvel Super Heroes 4D 2010 Madame Tussauds London, Trans Studio Bandung[10]
Rabid Rider 2010 Cincinnati Zoo
Shalem 2011? Jerusalem Time Elevator, Jerusalem A 3000-year-old guide to Jerusalem's history at the Jerusalem Time Elevator, Jerusalem.[11]
The Bourne Legacy 2012 Multinational In 4DX
Tallgrass Prairie: Tides of Time 2012 Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, Kansas Features wind, snow, smoke, and lightning effects[12]
Prometheus 2012 Cinepolis Galerias Guadalajara, Mexico In 4DX. Ridley Scott, Director
Titanic 2012 Multinational 4DX re-release,[13] James Cameron, Director
The Adventures of Tintin 2011 Nickelodeon Resorts, Paramount Parks, North Carolina Zoo, and Alton Towers 14-minute condensed version of the film.
Iron Man 3 2013 Korona World Theatre Nagoya, Japan,[14] Seoul, South Korea Labeled as 4DX featuring strobe lights, tilting seats, blowing wind and fog, and odor effects.
47 Ronin 2014 Multinational In 4DX
Fury 2014 Multinational In 4DX
Interstellar 2014 Multinational In 4DX. Christopher Nolan, Director
Rio 2014 San Diego Zoo, Kentucky Kingdom, North Carolina Zoo, Indianapolis Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo 12-minute condensed version of the film.
Temple Run 7D 2014 India 9-minute ride to various Indian temples including Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Rameshwaram, and Dwarka produced by Modern Techno Projects Private Ltd.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2015 Multinational In 4DX. J.J. Abrams, Director
Ice Age: No Time for Nuts 4D 2015 United States 4D-remastered version of the 2006 short film of the same name.
Rogue One 2016 Multinational In 4DX
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016 Seoul, Korea and New York City, New York Labeled as 4DX including fog, wind, motion, rain, lightning, vibrations and scents.
Pixels 2016 Taguig, Philippines 4DX re-release including models, sprites, explosives, and bullets.
Mass Effect: New Earth 4D 2016 California's Great America 4+1⁄2-minute film, 60-foot screen with 4K resolution, live performers, wind, water, leg pokers, neck ticklers, 80-channel surround sound
LEGO Nexo Knights 4D: The Book of Creativity[15] 2016 Legoland parks and Legoland Discovery Centre parks worldwide 12+1⁄2-minute 4D film of LEGO Nexo Knights shown at Legoland, along with The LEGO Movie 4D Produced by Alexander Lentjes[16] for M2Film and Merlin Entertainments
Gravity 2018 Multinational 4DX re-release,[17] Alfonso Cuarón, Director
Life of Pi 2018 Multinational 4DX re-release,[18] Ang Lee, Director
1917 2019 Multinational In 4DX,[19] Sam Mendes, Director, Produced by Amblin Partners
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 2019 Multinational In 4DX. J.J. Abrams, Director
Gemini Man 2019 Multinational In 4DX. Ang Lee, Director
The Lion King 2019 Multinational In 4DX. Jon Favreau, Director
Inception 2020 Multinational 4DX re-release,[20] Christopher Nolan, Director
The Matrix Resurrections 2021 Multinational In 4DX. Lana Wachowski, Director
Top Gun: Maverick 2022 Multinational In 4DX. Directed by Joseph Kosinski.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2023 Multinational In 4DX. Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic Directors
Oppenheimer 2023 Multinational In 4DX. Christopher Nolan, Director[21]
Postcard from Earth 2023 Sphere at the Venetian Resort, Las Vegas Effects include wind, scents, and infrasound seat vibrations. Directed by Darren Aronofsky.[22]
Godzilla Minus One 2023 Japan In 4DX. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki[23]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Also known as R. L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse 4-D)

References

  1. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "4DX Cinemas Next Generation - Motion Seats, Wind, Fog, Lighting, Bubbles, Water & Scents". YouTube.
  2. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Smelly Screens & Moving Seats At The UK's First 4DX Cinema | Swipe". YouTube.
  3. ^ "4DX Continues to Dominate The 4D Marketplace by Inking Deal with Cineplex Germany". DCinemaToday. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  4. ^ "Weekly Top 10: The World's Best Theme Park Movie Attractions". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  5. ^ "Watch: First 4D Theater Opens in the U.S." Time. June 24, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  6. ^ Hauersley, Thomas (May 25, 2011). "…in Sensurround". In 70mm. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  7. ^ Zone, Ray (2012). 3-D Revolution: The History of Modern Stereoscopic Cinema. The University Press of Kentucky. pp. 143–155. ISBN 978-0-8131-3611-0. Archived from the original on 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  8. ^ Maddox, Gary (October 7, 2011). "Cinema with a new dimension". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  9. ^ "Showcase Cinemas". National Amusements, Inc. 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  10. ^ "Superheroes 4D: Trans Studio, Badung, Indonesia". Simworx. 2014-01-09. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  11. ^ Jerusalem Time Elevator Tickets GoJerusalem.com
  12. ^ "Immersive Experience Theater". Archived from the original on 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  13. ^ "Titanic to be Re-released in 4DX". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  14. ^ Marah Eakin (18 April 2013), Iron Man 3 getting sniff-worthy 4D screenings in Japan, Onion Inc., retrieved 28 February 2014
  15. ^ "LEGO Nexo Knights 4D: The Book of Creativity". Internet Movie Database. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Alexander Lentjes". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  17. ^ (4DX 3D) Gravity | Book tickets at Cineworld Cinemas, retrieved 2022-03-27
  18. ^ (4DX 3D) Life Of Pi | Book tickets at Cineworld Cinemas, retrieved 2022-03-27
  19. ^ Nguyen, Jacob (2020-01-10). "Review: 4DX theater puts you inside the movie at Regal Atlantic Station". Reporter Newspapers & Atlanta Intown. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  20. ^ "Inception in 4DX at Cineworld | Cineworld cinemas". www.cineworld.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  21. ^ Nolan, Christopher (2023-07-21), Oppenheimer (Biography, Drama, History), Atlas Entertainment, Syncopy, Universal Pictures, retrieved 2022-03-27
  22. ^ "'Postcard From Earth': Darren Aronofsky's 18K Film Rocks The Sphere". Rolling Stone. October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  23. ^ "邦画初！プレミアムラージフォーマット「ScreenX」での上". Godzilla Minus One (in Japanese). October 16, 2023. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
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