4-D film experience increases sensory effects

Most of us are used to seeing 3-D movies in local cinemas.

Now, it's time to get ready for 4-D. It combines the usual aspects of 3-D with additional effects inside the theatre, such as gusting winds or fog, odours, and vibrating chairs—all synchronized with the on-screen movie.

In an article in the Los Angeles Times, Richard Verrier points out that the race is on, led by South Korea-based CJ Group.

"The 4-D experience is wowing fans in South Korea, Thailand and Mexico, where CJ Group has 29 specialty theaters that regularly screen big Hollywood titles such as Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Prometheus, which featured the crashing spaceship," Verrier writes. "Now CJ Group is close to finalizing a deal with a nationwide U.S. chain to create nearly 200 4-D theaters in the next five years, with the first to open this year in Los Angeles, New York and several other major cities."

Longueil, Quebec–based D-Box is another player in the nascent 4-D industry, with dozens of locations.

For decades, cinema companies have been trying to figure out ways that they can provide an in-theatre experience that can't be replicated at home. It seems that 4-D films might just be the latest response.

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.