Seoul-headquartered 4D cinema company CJ 4DPlex has inked a deal with India’s largest theatrical chain PVR Ltd. The pact – announced at CinemaCon – will result in the first India installation of the 4DX system sometime this year. The site will be PVR’s first Superplex, a 15-screen multiplex in Noida, just outside the capital New Delhi.
Enabling a multi-sensory cinema experience, 4DX features include motion, wind, lightning, vibration, fog, rain, snow, rainstorm and scents that go far beyond 3D. Each auditorium incorporates motion-based seating synchronized with over 20 different effects, optimized by a team of skilled editors, maximizing the feeling of immersion within the movie.
“Our partnership with PVR Ltd. is a great opportunity for 4DX to accelerate expansion in the world’s largest film-producing country,” said CJ 4DPLEX CEO Byun Hwan Choi. “Being loved by the Indian moviegoers is a worthwhile challenge for us, and we are eager to achieve it. We look forward to a successful partnership with PVR.”
“India has an immense potential to both produce and consume movies in various formats,” said PVR Ltd CEO Gautam Dutta, adding, “Introducing 4DX will be another step to offer the finest movie experience to our patrons.”
PVR opened India’s first multiplex in 1997 and currently runs over 470 screens in 44 cities nationwide.
The company also has a pact with IMAX and runs two properties – in Mumbai and Bangalore. The first Bollywood film to also release in IMAX was 2013 actioner Dhoom:3 from veteran banner Yash Raj Films.
CJ 4DPLEX also announced a pact with Japan’s Harima Enterprise to bring a 96-seat 4DX auditorium to a newly built multiplex in Himeji city. The site is located in the center of Hiroshima, Kobe, and Osaka. CJ 4DPLEX said that “another top-tier Japanese exhibitor” is scheduled to sign an agreement by the end of April, becoming 4DX’s sixth partner exhibitor in Japan. This makes the country home to the second largest number of 4DX partners after China.
Since its first 4D screening of Avatar in 2010, CJ 4DPLEX has brought more than 23,000 4DX seats to 170 theatres in 33 countries. The format served over 20 million attendees last year and is expected to cross 30 million by the end of 2015.
Leave a Reply