Can ScreenX Boost the Movie Theater Industry?

This past April, CJ 4DPLEX and D’Place Entertainment announced a partnership to open D’Place’s first-ever ScreenX theater at the Mary Pickford Theatre in Cathedral City, California, in May.

ScreenX, a 270-degree panoramic cinema format, extends two additional movie screens onto the walls of the auditorium for an immersive viewing experience. The immediate advantage is a peripheral viewing experience that adds more complete visual immersion, much akin to how VR goggles elevate a standard viewing screen method or a single computer monitor when playing a video game.

Both companies expressed excitement about enhancing the moviegoing experience and creating memorable moments for their audience.

“We’re excited to join forces with D’Place Entertainment and launch their very first ScreenX auditorium. Together, we’re reshaping the future of moviegoing, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience the magic of ScreenX at the Mary Pickford Theatre.”

Don Savant, President & CEO of CJ 4DPLEX America, via PR Newswire

ScreenX differs from IMAX due to the placement of viewing screens on three of the four walls inside an auditorium, equating to a true panorama. IMAX, on the other hand, retains a flat screen, albeit on a much larger scale than traditional movie theaters. Certain IMAX theaters also offer an OMNIMAX auditorium, however, that projects the IMAX camera image onto a large dome to simulate an increased viewing experience.

CJ 4DPLEX is a Korean company based in Seoul, with offices located in Los Angeles, California, and Beijing, China. It operates the fifth-largest chain of theaters in the world and is also responsible for 4DX auditoriums. These 4DX theaters are also enhanced experiences, and they offer “a multi-sensory cinema-going experience, allowing audiences to connect with movies through motion, vibration, water, wind, snow, lightning, scents, and other special effects that enhance the visuals on-screen. Each 4DX auditorium incorporates motion-based seating synchronized with more than 21 different effects and optimized by a team of skilled editors.”

Currently, there are more than 790 4DX auditoriums worldwide across over 70 countries. In comparison, there are approximately 370 ScreenX auditoriums spread throughout 40 countries.

According to the press release, “D’Place Entertainment designs, builds, manages, and operates Movie Theaters and Entertainment Centers that incorporate a number of upscale, quality attractions like Bowling, Cinemas, and Amusements all fused with great food and beverage options while maintaining the highest levels of guest service.”

The movie industry, especially the theater chain sector, has been increasingly showing signs of trouble.

According to statistics researched by The Numbers, the movie theater industry has been on a steep decline in various areas, such as a significant decrease in overall movie ticket sales and a sizeable reduction in the number of movies released each year by the six major Hollywood studios. For instance, The Numbers reported that around 830 million movie tickets were sold in 2023, compared to over 1.2 billion in 2019 before the pandemic. Additionally, the six major studios — Warner Bros., Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, and Universal — had a total of 67 wide releases last year compared to 87 in 2019.

Interestingly, the number of movies released each year has increased in total output from the combination of other studios, with 83 wide releases last year compared to 43 in 2019. Furthermore, the average ticket price has increased in cost due to factors such as inflation.

Cineworld Group, owner of Regal, has only recently started to recover after emerging from 11 months of Chapter 11 bankruptcy last August. Meanwhile, AMC Entertainment’s share prices have been on a roller coaster, and some analysts are labeling AMC as a meme stock.

Additionally, movie theater culture hasn’t been the same since the advent of streaming services. And with the addition of social media, competition for viewership has increased tenfold, with people’s time and attention spans being stretched thin and pulled in multiple directions.

According to a 2022 Statista survey, 42% of U.S. viewers “prefer to watch newly released movies online,” compared to 40% who said they would prefer to go to movie theaters for premiers. More recently, HarrisX completed a poll for IndieWire and found that only 34% of adults in the U.S. would prefer to go to a theater to watch movies, leaving two-thirds to prefer waiting for movies to be streamed online.

Regardless, the new CJ 4DPLEX and D’Place Entertainment ScreenX theater in the Mary Pickford Theatre is now open and features a 50-foot-wide screen and luxury recliner seats. Upcoming ScreenX films include “Twisters” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”