Incredible 4DX movie cinemas coming to South Africa

Nu Metro recently signed a memorandum of understanding with CJ 4DPlex to bring 4DX cinemas to South Africa.

The 4DX cinemas will be the first of their kind in Africa, and are set to be installed in selected Nu Metro theatres in Cape Town and Durban before the end of 2015.

4DX cinemas, launched by the South Korean company in 2009, use motion, vibration, water, wind, lightning, and scent to provide moviegoers with a “truly immersive” experience, and are already running in 182 theatres in 34 countries.

The first South African locations to feature 4DX will be at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and The Pavilion in Durban, with three more sites in the planning phase.

How 4DX cinemas work

4DX theatres add a “4D” element to movies by providing real-life stimulation of a viewer’s senses. These effects are then synchronised to run in time with the movie, which is shown in either 2D or 3D.

Motion

The cinema’s chairs are equipped motors which allow three base movements: heave (up and down), pitch (left and right), and roll (tilt backwards and forward).

This allows the seats to mimic movement on screen, like a plane flying or a car speeding down a street. A team of 4DX editors coordinate the seats’ movement for each movie shown.

4DX seating

4DX seating

Environmental effects

In addition to the seat movement, the theatre is equipped with “environmental effects” which further add to the movie experience.

Wind, bubbles, lightning, fog, scent, vibration, air shots, and water shots are used during the movie to simulate explosions, storms, or the “smell of coffee” which are in the movie.

Like the seat movement coordination, 4DX editors synchronise when the relevant effects need to be executed.

“4DX presents an all-five-senses immersive cinematic experience allowing everyone to connect with the movie,” said its creators.

4DX theatre

4DX theatre

4DX cinema video

The promotional video below gives you a taste of what 4DX cinemas are about. (Please note that the video contains strong language.)

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