Movie Theater Film

The first 4DX movie theater in the United States opened in Los Angeles last weekend. Located in theater 6 at the Regal Cinemas LA Live in Downtown LA, the 104-seat theater books one first-run 3D movie at a time, and augments the showing with real-world physical effects. Those effects are the fourth dimension.

So, timed with the movie, you basically experience a theme park ride. Your seat rumbles and moves around, water squirts, there’s smoke, flashing lights, lumbar effects, gusting wind, even scents. The presentation admirably tries to bring the viewer into the movie.

Michael Bay‘s Transformers: Age of Extinction was the first film to play in the format here, so Peter Sciretta and myself were given a nearly three hour 4DX experience. This was great in that we were privy to the full slate of 4DX effects, but the film also became a tasking mental and physical exercise. Below, we present a video blog about the experience, along with a bunch of photos and a brief rundown of how Transformers: Age of Extinction translates into 4DX.

First up, a short intro before heading into the theater.

Next, here are some photos of the theater and signage around the area.

Finally, our review:

After paying $26.75 at night, or $24 for a matinee, the 4DX experience starts like any other multiplex movie. There’s a pre-show and lots of trailers, but then there’s a trailer for 4DX. You can watch a version of it at this link. It features a simple car chase… then it stops and asks, “Missing something?” Then you see the same car chase, but with full 4DX immersion. The seat rumbles, it moves left, right, up and down. Spouts of air come from behind your head to emulate the sensation of bullets zipping by. There’s wind blowing and a mist of water, all in time with what’s seen on screen. The crowd loved it and applauded.

Then Transformers Age of Extinction began. The film starts with spaceships flying above Earth and the 4DX seats rise and slowly follow the motion of the ships to simulate a floating sensation. Next, we’re on prehistoric Earth and the seats rumble to mimic the buzzing of the ships. Wind begins to blow, as would happen if you were standing outside a huge spaceship, and then the seats move as Bay’s camera sweeps around. A bomb is set off and the seat rumbles and shakes violently.

Next, a beautiful helicopter shot takes the film to the Arctic. The audience becomes the camera as we feel wind and a flying sensation. Wind continues to blow to make things colder, like the Arctic, and when the man bangs a hammer on a dino tooth, the seat vibrates with the sensation.

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