Through Partnership with Marcus Theatres, Immersive Movie Experience Debuting in Third U.S. Market; Gurnee Cinema Installation to Open by End of the Year
LOS ANGELES AND SEOUL (September 1, 2015) – CJ 4DPLEX, the world’s first 4D cinema company, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Marcus Theatres®, the fifth-largest theatre chain in the United States, to bring 4DX technology to the Chicago market for the first time. After having its U.S. debut in Los Angeles last year, and announcing plans to be available in two New York theatres later this year, this new relationship paves the way for the immersive five-sense cinematic experience to its third U.S. market.
The first 4DX location in the Chicago DMA will be Marcus Gurnee Cinema. It is expected to begin construction shortly, to open in November.
“We have seen incredible success in the U.S. thus far, beginning with the premiere of 4DX in Los Angeles just over a year ago. With this agreement, our immersive cinema technology will be in three of the top four U.S. cinema markets by the end of the year, and we see this momentum continuing into 2016,” said Mark W. Shaw, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX America. “Marcus Theatres is an ideal partner as we look to expand into new locations, and we can’t wait for fans in the Windy City to experience movies in a unique, new way later this year.”
The 4DX technology from CJ 4DPLEX enhances the on-screen visuals of action-packed blockbusters, stimulating all five senses through special effects such as motion, wind, fog, rain, lighting, vibrations and scents, to enable a completely immersive event that transcends the traditional cinema experience. The result is that 4DX, going far beyond 3D, offers a complete visual, aural, olfactory and tactile experience to the latest blockbusters, and lends itself perfectly to high-action movies.
“It is important that we continue to bring options to guests that help create the ultimate movie-going experience,” said Rolando Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer of Marcus Theatres. “We have invested in a wide variety of amenities across many of our theatres, including seating, food and beverage options and premium large format screens. Now we are excited to bring another unique, experiential offering to guests at Gurnee Cinema through 4DX.”
CJ 4DPLEX’s 4DX technology was first launched in America at AEG-owned Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 in June 2014. During its first year, the 104-seat Regal LA Live’s 4DX Auditorium has generated $1.7 million in revenue, which is triple the total from the previous year, and attendance has doubled during the same period since the conversion. Also, the theatre moved up nearly 40 spots in overall U.S. box office rankings. As previously announced, two Manhattan locations are slated to open in the fourth quarter of this year: Regal Union Square Stadium 14 and Regal E-Walk 13.
Since debuting with a 4D screening of Avatar in 2010, there are now more than 26,000 4DX seats operating in 187 theatres in 34 countries – opening approximately one new screen every two weeks as theatres recognize the power of being able to offer a wider range of formats and experiences to moviegoers. To date 4DX has been introduced around the world in such countries as Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Hungary, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Venezuela, among others.
A sampling of blockbuster movies that have recently screened in 4DX theatres range from Transformers: Age of Extinction, Furious 7 and Avengers: Age of Ultron, to Jurassic World, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and San Andreas.
About CJ 4DPLEX
CJ 4DPLEX is the world’s first 4D-technology based cinema for feature films. Headquartered in Seoul and with international offices in Los Angeles and Beijing, the company provides immersive cinematic experience through 4DX auditoriums for exhibition partners along with 4DX codes of major Hollywood blockbusters and local titles. Each auditorium incorporates motion-based seating synchronized with over 20 different effects and optimized by a team of skilled editors, maximizing the feeling of immersion within the movie. A visit to the 4DX brings a virtual journey through an all-encompassing experience not limited to just audio and video. 4DX presents an all-five-senses immersive cinematic experience allowing everyone to connect with the movie and experience special effects through motion, vibration, water, wind, lighting, scents and more that enhance the visuals on-screen. Since 2010, more than 200 Hollywood titles were screened in 4DX. As of July 2015, there are more than 26,000 4DX seats across 187 sites in 34 countries. For more information, please visit www.cj4dx.com or www.facebook.com/4dplex.
About Marcus Theatres
Marcus Theatres®, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE:MCS), is the fifth largest theatre circuit in the United States and currently owns or operates 681 screens at 55 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and Ohio. For more information, please visit www.marcustheatres.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter (@Marcus_Theatres).
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Media Contacts:
Matt Biscuiti (primary contact) Lindsey Weix
The Lippin Group for CJ 4DPLEX Marcus Theatres
Phone: 212-986-7080 Phone: 414-459-3943
Email: matt@lippingroup.com Email: lindseyweix@marcustheatres.com
Sean Hwang
Marketing Specialist
CJ 4DPLEX
Phone: +822-371-6847
Email: seanhwang@cj.net
