4D film

4D film or 4-D film is a usually hypothetical marketing term for an entertainment presentation system combining a 3D film with physical effects that occur in the theatre in synchronization with the film. Effects simulated in a 4D film may include rain, mist, bubbles, fog or smoke, wind, temperature changes, strobe lights, scent, vibration and motion.[1][2] Seats in 4D venues may vibrate or move a few centimeters during the presentations. Other common chair effects include air jets, water sprays, and leg and back ticklers. Auditorium effects may include smoke, rain, lightning, bubbles, and smell.

Diagram of a 4D theater

Because physical effects can be expensive to install, 4D films are most often presented in custom-built theatres at special venues such as theme parks, amusement parks and zoos. However, some movie theatres have the ability to present 4D versions of wide-release 3D films. The films Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) and Avatar (2009) are among the films that have received a 4D treatment in certain theatres.[3] There are also mobile 4D theaters, which are mounted inside vehicles such as enclosed trailers, buses and trucks.

4D films are distinct from four-dimensional space. Notable historical formats for providing different aspects of a "fourth dimension" to films include Sensurround, and Smell-O-Vision. As of June 2015, about 530 screens worldwide have installed some 4-D technology.[4]

History

The precursors of the modern 4-D film presentation include Smell-O-Vision, which was used only once, in 1960, and Sensurround, which debuted in 1974 with the film Earthquake. Only a few films were presented in Sensurround, and it was supplanted by Dolby Stereo in 1977, which featured extended low frequencies, and made subwoofers a common addition to cinema.[5] Other notable efforts at pushing the boundaries of the film viewing experience include Fantasound, the first use of stereo sound, Cinemiracle and Cinerama, both widescreen formats utilizing multiple projectors.

The 3-D film is always included in the 4-D experience. 3-D has been used in some form in film since 1915, but did not become widely seen until the 1950s. However, it was a niche format, and was not particularly successful. Beginning is the late 1980s, 3-D experienced a resurgence, partially on the strength of IMAX presentations. It has continued to expand, albeit very slowly, to the present.

The Sensorium is regarded the world's first commercial 4-D film and was first screened in a Six Flags theme park in Baltimore in 1984. It was produced in partnership with Landmark Entertainment.[6]

As of 2017, by far the most common 4-D titles are attraction films located in theme parks. However, there seems to be a trend toward the installation of 4-D equipment in more traditional cinemas, with developers such as 4DX, D-Box Technologies, and Mediamation competing for venues.[7]

List of 4D presentation systems for film theatres

The following is a list of 4D presentation systems developed for traditional film theatres.

Format	Date	Developer	3-D Format	Motion Seat	Effects	Remarks	Notes	Source
4DX		CJ 4D Plex	Stereoscopic 3-D	yes	fog machine, strobes, scents, bubbles, snow, water sprays, wind/air
D-Box		D-Box Technologies	Stereoscopic 3-D	yes	none
MX4D		MediaMation	Stereoscopic 3-D	yes	fog machine, strobes, scents, bubbles, snow, water sprays, wind/air			[8]
4D E-Motion		Lumma	Stereoscopic 3-D	yes	vibration, water sprays, air shots, scents, wind, strobes, colour lights, fog, bubbles, snow
(Not named by developer)		Red Rover	Stereoscopic 3-D	yes	fog machine, strobes, scents, bubbles, water sprays, wind/air		Branded as Super 4D in Lotte Cinema installations.

Selected filmography

Title	Year	Release venue/Country	Notes
The Scent of Mystery	1960	Specially outfitted general-release theaters	Smell-O-Vision
The Sensorium	1984	Six Flags Power Plant, Baltimore, MD	The first 4D film
Captain EO	1986	Epcot, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland	Closed in the mid-late 1990s and reopened in 2010 as a tribute to the late Michael Jackson.
Muppet*Vision 3D	1991	Disney's Hollywood Studios	Directed by Jim Henson
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience	1994	Epcot, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland	Sponsored by Kodak, closed in all locations in May 2010 and was replaced with Captain EO.
Terminator 2 3D: Battle Across Time	1996	Universal Studios Japan	Directed by James Cameron
Pirates 4D	1997	SeaWorld Ohio, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Thorpe Park in the UK, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay	Produced by Busch Entertainment, Directed by Keith Melton.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man	1999	Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Japan,	Water, smoke, strobe, and vibration.
PandaDroom	2002	The Efteling, Netherlands	Same film released in other parks without 4D effects
SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D	2002, 2006	Six Flags over Texas, Moody Gardens, Shedd Aquarium, Adventure Dome, Six Flags Great Adventure, Movie Park Germany, Adventure Aquarium, Kings Dominion, (formerly at Paramount Parks), Indianapolis Zoo, Carowinds, Camden Aquarium (Camden, NJ), Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo and other locations
Mickey's PhilharMagic	2003	Magic Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disney California Adventure.	In collaboration with Walt Disney Feature Animation
Haunted Lighthouse (aka R. L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse 4-D)	2003	Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo
Shrek 4-D	2003	Universal Studios Florida, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Singapore	Released in an anaglyph version as Shrek 3-D on DVD
Borg Invasion	2004	Star Trek: The Experience, at Las Vegas Hilton, USA	Closed in 2008, to be reopened in Neonopolis, Las Vegas
Fly Me to the Moon	2008	Six Flags over Texas
Journey to the Center of the Earth 4-D Adventure	2008	Vibrant 5D, Raipur	Stone Mountain Park, Dollywood, Warner Bros. Movie World
Fly High: The Legend of Black Man	2017	First Indian 4-D Film; directed by Rahul Rathish Kumar
Avatar in 4-D	2009	South Korea, Hong Kong
London Eye 4D Experience	2009	London Eye
Beyond All Boundaries	2009	WWII Museum, New Orleans	Produced by Tom Hanks
ENERGIA The Spirit of the Earth	2009	Cité de l'énergie, Shawinigan (Quebec)	Spectators are seated on a revolving platform. Features wind, snow, smoke, rain, vibration and lighting effects.
Marvel Super Heroes 4D	2010	Madame Tussauds London, Trans Studio Bandung[9]
Rabid Rider	2010	Cincinnati Zoo
Star Tours—The Adventures Continue	2011	Disneyland, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Tokyo Disneyland, & Disneyland Paris	Replaced/Replacing Star Tours in all locations.Was updated in late 2015 to add an adventure themed to Star Wars: The Force Awakens[10]
Shalem	2011?	Jerusalem Time Elevator, Jerusalem	A 3000-year-old guide to Jerusalem's history at the Jerusalem Time Elevator, Jerusalem.[11] It includes moving and tilting seats on a moving stage, air conditioning and smell enhancements, along with a 'light and sound' show highlighting real artifacts. A similar system, 'The Time Mine', has been installed at the Timna Valley park near Eilat, and another at the main hall of the Herzl Museum in Jerusalem.
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World	2011	United States, India, Canada and UK	Smell was achieved by using scratch and sniff cards
Transformers: The Ride	2011	Universal Studios Singapore, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Florida
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem	2012	Universal Studios Florida , Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Hollywood	14-minute simulator ride, starring Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes and the Minions; setting is 1 year after the events of the original film in 2010.
Tallgrass Prairie: Tides of Time	2012	Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, Kansas	Features wind, snow, smoke, and lightning effects[12]
Prometheus	2012	Cinepolis Galerias Guadalajara, Mexico
The Adventures of Tintin	2011	Nickelodeon Resorts, Paramount Parks, North Carolina Zoo, and Alton Towers	14-minute condensed version of the film.
Iron Man 3	2013	Korona World Theatre Nagoya, Japan,[13] Seoul, South Korea	Labeled as 4DX featuring strobe lights, tilting seats, blowing wind and fog, and odor effects.
Rio	2014	San Diego Zoo, Kentucky Kingdom	12-minute condensed version of the film.
Temple Run 7D	2014	India	9-minute ride to various Indian temples including Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Rameshwaram, and Dwarka produced by Modern Techno Projects Private Ltd.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice	2016	Seoul, Korea and New York City, New York	Labeled as 4DX including fog, wind, motion, rain, lightning, vibrations and scents.
Pixels	2016	Taguig City, Philippines	Labeled as 4DX including models, arcade, explosives, and shoots.
Mass Effect: New Earth 4D	2016	California's Great America	​4 ^1⁄2-minute film, 60-foot screen with 4K resolution, live performers, wind, water, leg pokers, neck ticklers, 80-channel surround sound
LEGO Nexo Knights 4D: The Book of Creativity[14]	2016	Legoland parks and Legoland Discovery Centre parks worldwide	​12 ^1⁄2-minute 4D film of LEGO Nexo Knights shown at Legoland, along with The LEGO Movie 4D Produced by Alexander Lentjes[15] for M2Film and Merlin Entertainments

References

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN03zZRHSHA
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gtcjn4uvjE
3. Han Sunhee (February 5, 2010). "'Avatar' goes 4D in Korea". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
4. Alex Ritman (June 21, 2015). "Will 4D Ever Catch on?". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved June 21, 2015.
5. Hauersley, Thomas (May 25, 2011). "…in Sensurround". In 70mm. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
6. Zone, Ray (2012). 3-D Revolution: The History of Modern Stereoscopic Cinema. The University Press of Kentucky. pp. 143–155. ISBN 978-0-8131-3611-0.
7. Maddox, Gary (October 7, 2011). "Cinema with a new dimension". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
8. "Showcase Cinemas". National Amusements, Inc. 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
9. "Superheroes 4D: Trans Studio, Badung, Indonesia". Simworx. 2014-01-09. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
10. Glover, Erin. "Star Wars Enhancements, New Experiences Coming Soon to Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
11. Jerusalem Time Elevator Tickets GoJerusalem.com
12. "Immersive Experience Theater". Archived from the original on 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
13. Marah Eakin (18 April 2013), Iron Man 3 getting sniff-worthy 4D screenings in Japan, Onion Inc., retrieved 28 February 2014
14. "LEGO Nexo Knights 4D: The Book of Creativity". Internet Movie Database. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
15. "Alexander Lentjes". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 15 April 2018.