When the newborn penguin breaks out of the egg shell, the seats jerk. Then a voiceover comes along, \u201cIt\u2019s the miracle of birth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

$\"Screen$ <\/a>

Source: the-numbers.com<\/p><\/div>\n

While still going through the \u201cpost-Avatar\u201d age, the age of 3D revival, the movie theaters are not satisfied with the declining box office and are trying the new gimmick, 4D technology, to get more people into the theaters. <\/span><\/p>\n

As a leading role of pushing the 4D system, Seoul-headquartered CJ group opened a 104-seat 4D theater with its partner Regal Cinemas in LA Live this June, the first of the kind in the United States. \u201cWe opened the first auditorium in L.A. because it\u2019s the place where Hollywood is located,\u201d says Yassamine Wahab, marketing director for CJ 4DPlex. CJ 4DPlex, a branch of conglomerate CJ Group, is the company that designed 4D.<\/span><\/p>\n

$\"Theodore$ <\/a>

Theodore Kim, chief operating officer, LA LAB of CJ 4DPLEX. (Gary Friedman \/ Los Angeles Times\uff09<\/p><\/div>\n

CJ Group and its partner have confidence in drawing crowds with the 4D technology. \u201cIt makes the movie, the viewing even more realistic and it puts you in the middle of the action that makes you feel exactly how the characters feel,\u201d says Michael Roth, VP of the communications for AEG.<\/span><\/p>\n

It shakes. It rains. It smokes. It blows. It smells. It lights. It bubbles. It also cashes in.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 4D theater in Downtown L.A. is outperforming traditional movie theaters, according to Variety<\/a>. For instance, \u201cTransformers: Age of Extinction\u201d generated $105,016, an 138 percent more than the national average of $44,054, during its first thirteen days. \u201cDawn of the Planet of the Apes\u201d performed even better, taking in $94,247 during the first 13 days, 145 percent more than the industry average. \u201cThe one theater that equipped with 4D system sells out on a regular basis,\u201d Roth says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although higher ticket prices certainly give it a higher box office than other regular cinemas, the occupancy rate is still impressive. Regardless of the weekday, the weekend, or the title, it enjoyed an average attendance rate of 63 percent. Most theaters’ attendance rates vary between 10 percent to 15 percent. \u201cIt\u2019s beyond expectations. People were very curious about this process, so that they came early to see the showings,\u201d Roth says.<\/span><\/p>\n

The average ticket price of a 4D movie is $15, about $7 more than the U.S. average ticket price of $8.16<\/a>. \u201cPeople understand that there is a\u00a0premium attached to it, with the technology and all the equipments added,\u201d Roth says. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s expensive to build up a 4D theater. There are two different ways of building a 4D auditorium. One is building a 4D auditorium in a newly constructed multiplex, and the other is transforming an existing movie theater into 4D auditorium by renovation. CJ 4DPlex did the latter, the more costly one, to the one in L.A.. It took them about 3 months to install motion chairs and various equipments for environmental effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

CJ Group told Los Angeles Times<\/a>, \u201cit costs about $2 million to design and outfit a 4-D theater, with exhibitors covering half the costs.\u201d CJ Group also says circuits quickly recoup their investment because the theaters are so popular.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 4D auditorium in Hollywood is not CJ Group\u2019s debut. CJ started off its 4D journey home \u2014 it showed its first film with 4D effects \u201cJourney to the Center of the Earth\u201d in an 88-seat theater in Seoul in 2009. <\/span><\/p>\n

With the introducing of 4D \u201cAvatar\u201d in 2010, CJ Group opened three more \u201c4D Plexes\u201d in South Korea. Matthew Patrick, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, explains, \u201cIt\u2019s such a trip to another world, so the magic of the world is already so great that this [4D effects] would just add to it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CJ\u2019s 4DX is currently running 128 auditoriums in 28 countries worldwide, including Mexico, Korea, China, Russia, the U.S. and Japan. On average, 4D auditoriums generate 3 times as big as the box office revenue of 2D or 3D general formats. And the occupancy rate of 4D theaters is 10 to 30 percent higher than that of general auditoriums, Wahab says. <\/span><\/p>\n

The South Korean company is not alone. In Australia, Merlin Entertainments runs a 4D cinema at the Sydney Tower Eye where people can have the views for real on the top of the observation deck during a short film that shows off the city’s sights. <\/span><\/p>\n

An Indian shopping mall,\u00a0Sector 4D Shopping Centre, installs an even more extreme effects in the cinema, with seats moving\u00a0in all directions, including free-falling, vibrating and flight simulation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Comparing with \u201cAvatar\u201d igniting the global excitement about 3D screens, — in 2010, the number of 3D screens installed more than doubled from 16,339 to 36,242<\/a>, an increase of 121.8 percent —\u00a04D theaters still have a long way to go. <\/span><\/p>\n