Extras show that CinemaCon is more than movies
LAS VEGAS CinemaCon 2017 was much more than the movies we’re going to see in theaters this year.
The trade show unveiled an arsenal of extras intended to lure filmgoers — from virtual reality plane crashes with Tom Cruise to hot nacho-cheese flavors for concession stands to giant Space Invaders games for the lobby.
These were the most talkedabout exhibits at the just-ended annual convention of theater owners. FEAR OF FLYING WITH THE MUMMY VR There was about an hour’s wait to take part in The Mummy Zero Gravity Stunt VR Experience. Sitting in 10 cutting-edge Positron Voyager full-motion pod chairs, attendees donned VR headsets and headphones for a communal and theatrical experience. They were immersed directly into the fantastical making of the action movie’s major stunt, floating with stars Tom Cruise and Annabelle Wallis during wild zero-gravity flights to replicate a plane crash.
If Cruise had hurled during the zero Gs, it would have been an issue.
With plans for additional prerelease showcases around the country, the VR Experience is a draw for The Mummy (in theaters June 9). It’s also a step forward for a VR entertainment model worth leaving the house for. GIANT SPACE INVADERS You can either kill time with friends in the lobby waiting for a movie or destroy alien creatures with a proton gun. It doesn’t seem like much of a decision as Space Invaders Frenzy made its debut at CinemaCon as a major draw — with its 10-foot screen and rows of aliens from the classic video game now serving as targets for the laser gun. Adults love the classic game features; youngsters love mowing down aliens.
The arcade company Raw Thrills also showed off its Walking Dead Arcade, which gives participants a crossbow shooter to take down zombies. FEEDING THE CUSTOMERS Cheetos Popcorn was the food star at 2015’s CinemaCon. In 2017, it was Robolabs’ Cotton Candy. The cart not only featured pros swirling a heap of the pink confection, but attendees were encouraged to give it a try as well.
The food runner-up is the rising star in the nacho-cheese world: smoky bacon cheddar flavor. It’s all about the bacon. SWAY AND TWIST WITH 4DX 4DX already allows real theater effects, such as seat motion, wind, rain and scents synced to what’s happening onscreen. This year, the South Korean company CJ 4DPLEX showed off new seats that sway and twist. It’s all the better for such screen action as car races (like the upcoming The
Fate of the Furious) and rolling on ocean waves. There are eight 4DX theaters in the USA with a goal of opening 20 by the end of the year. ULTIMATE THEATER-GOING WITH DOLBY Filmmakers took turns praising Dolby sound and screen technology for their films during CinemaCon, while the convention’s theater was equipped with Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos surround sound.
But the rising star was the full Dolby Cinema (on display in a nearby Vegas theater) with power recliners, power speakers around and above moviegoers (great for when the Millennium Falcon soars past) and laser projection. There are already 65 Dolby Cinemas in the U.S. and plans for 100 by the end of the year.