On April 26 Iron Man 3 will become the first movie to be shown in Japan using fourth dimensional (4-D) effects, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The 4-D showing of Iron Man 3 will take place in Nagoya, in central Japan at a theater owned by Korona World, which intends to screen 12 different films annually using 4DX effects. Iron Man 3 will be shown with “tilting seats, blowing wind and fog and odor effects,” the Hollywood Reporter writes.
According to media analyst and entertainment lawyer James Hirsen, 4-D “refers to physical effects that are coordinated with the images on the screen that involve your other senses. It is things like moving seats during a chase scene, the smell of gun powder when there is an explosion on the screen and during a spooky foggy scene you are surrounded by real fog."
Yahoo News! also reports that 4-D uses, “advanced computer software technology to coordinate the effects and customized seats equipped with back, neck and leg ticklers, air blasts, and water sprayers.”
The 4-D movie phenomenon is being spearheaded by the South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, the largest movie chain in Asia, which uses its 4DX technology to mimic more than a 1,000 sensations. By teaming up with the CJ Group to bring the 4-D experience to Japan, Korona World is following in the mold of movie chains in places like Canada, Thailand, Mexico, Peru, and Brazil.
Not surprisingly, the format has already become extremely popular with moviegoers in South Korea where it was first employed in 2009 for select showings of the James Cameron film Avatar. Seoul’s 4DX movie theatre claims to be the first 4-D movie theatre in the world and was subsequently named as one of the world’s top ten movie theatres by CNN Travel.
It is expected to soon hit theatres in America with the CJ Group planning to equip 200 U.S. theaters with the technology over the next four years. The first cinemas are expected to be in New York City and Los Angeles.
A spokesperson for Koroda World has said that Iron Man 3 was chosen to be the first film to be screened in 4-D in Japan primarily due to timing.
“It was really a matter of timing that Iron Man became the first title for 4DX in Japan, though we were looking for a blockbuster action film, as that is what works best with the system,” the spokesperson said.
Japan moviegoers will have to pay an additional US$10-13 to experience Iron Man 3 in 4-D.