Seoul, South Korea—Nov 9, 2015
Record-Breaking 10 Million Moviegoers Have Experienced 4DX Through the First 10 Months of 2015
4DX Grosses More Than $150 Million at Worldwide Box Office through October
CJ 4DPLEX, the world’s first 4D cinema company, has today announced that its immersive cinema technology, 4DX – the first and leading 4D experience for feature films – has reached a record 10 million moviegoers this year-to-date worldwide, grossing $150 million at the box office. With two months remaining in 2015, this marks the first time 4DX has reached the 10 million audience mark in a calendar year.
The reasons for this success include the availability of more Hollywood blockbusters in the format than ever before, expansion of 4DX technology into new countries and markets worldwide, and a changing movie-going paradigm from “viewing” to “experiencing” – creating a new revenue opportunity for multiplex exhibitors looking to bring cutting-edge technology that elevates the cinema experience for their audiences.
4DX Blockbusters
In 2015 thus far, 70 titles have been screened in 4DX (up 600 percent from the 10 titles available in 2009, the year 4DX debuted), in close collaboration with the major Hollywood studios. These have included Jurassic World, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Furious 7, which each attracted more than one million moviegoers in 2015. Additionally, Jurassic World in 4DX attracted 1.3 million attendees, recording over 55 percent occupancy rate throughout all of its screening weeks.
Continued Global 4DX Expansion
4DX theatres throughout the world now have the capacity to accommodate more than 40 million moviegoers per year, currently reaching 215 auditoriums in 35 countries. This is up from 128 auditoriums in 28 countries on November 1, 2014.
Growth has been driven in key regions around the world, including Japan – which opened its first 4DX auditorium in 2013, expanded 8 sites in 2014 and will reach to 33 sites in the country (adding 25 sites in 2015 alone). Over the past two years, the Japanese attendance has increased 10-fold from 72,000 to 780,000. In China – which debuted 4DX in 2010 – there are now 41 4DX auditoriums nationwide, including five new theatres that opened in 2015 through a deal with the largest theatre chain in the world, Wanda Cinemas.
Western markets have also seen massive 4DX growth this year, with the first 4DX theatre in the United Kingdom opening in January with Kingsman: The Secret Service seeing an opening-weekend occupancy rate of more than 80 percent. The film was also the first to screen in 4DX in Switzerland this March, generating more than 75 percent occupancy rate, while Avengers: Age ofUltron topped that by filling more than 92 percent of all seats, and Furious 7 nearly hit the 100 percent mark on opening weekend.
“Our business has accelerated expansion in global markets, increasing 4DX seats 28 fold and grown the number of 4DX sites 17 fold, from 2009 when 4DX debuted, to 2015,” said Byung Hwan Choi, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX. “Today, CJ 4DPLEX holds a great competitive position, able to accommodate more than 40 million moviegoers per year, with sustainable growth planned worldwide in the year ahead. There is high demand from moviegoers, represented by high occupancy rates, and this has translated in to strong partnerships with global theatre exhibitors. Like experiencing a film in 4DX, the future of this format is incredibly promising.”
Coming Soon
Building off of this recent growth and record success, CJ 4DPLEX plans to further grow its 4DX brand in Japan and China by reaching 33 and 53 total sites in each country, respectively, by the end of the year. More screens will be opening in the UK and Switzerland this month, and expansion is planned throughout the west, including previously-announced plans for U.S. debuts in Chicago and Manhattan, New York.
Overall, the company aims to reach 300 4DX theaters by the first half of 2016 as this technology becomes a mainstream option for moviegoers seeking the most immersive cinema experiences available.
