With enthusiasm for 3-D movies still continuing to waver in the U.S., a South Korean company is taking it upon themselves to offer what some might consider to be the next evolution in immersive cinema experiences. CJ Group is a conglomerate that runs the largest theatre chain in Asia, and they have successfully set up a series of specialty theatres throughout South Korea, Thailand and Mexico using a system called 4DX. Their technology essentially throws every gimmick in the book at audiences including moving seats, strobe lights, fans, odor emitters and water spray. They’ve been such a big hit in these other markets that they are now planning to bring their 4-D theatres to the U.S. as early as this year. William Castle would be proud, but does anyone else really want to see this?

According to the L.A. Times, the CJ 4DPlex theatres have screened such Hollywood blockbusters as Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Prometheus at 29 different locations, where they often draw sellout crowds. Their plan is to open approximately 200 theatres across the United States over the next five years, with the first ones to open this year in Los Angeles and New York. They are currently demonstrating their technology in a location near Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and are in the process of finalizing a deal with a nationwide U.S. chain to roll them out.

The success of 4-D in other countries is all well and good, but with North American audiences already wary of paying too much for movie tickets, I have to wonder if this is something they will be willing to shell out for. It seems somewhat similar to the D-Box moving seat technology that already exists, but adds quite a few other bells and whistles all for the proposed additional ticket price of $8. Clearly people enjoy stuff like this at theme parks, but do they want to see it in their local multiplex? I’m not sure. I will admit to being curious, but it feels a little to me like the movie industry is once again missing the point. We want better movies, not bigger gimmicks. What do you think, are you interested in 4-D technology? Can you see this being successful in the U.S. or are they going to be laughed right out of theatres?