cinelog.org

In an attempt to draw in moviegoers, Anaheim’s Gardenwalk Theatre has installed twenty-six D-Box motion seats. The first county cinema to utilize the technology, Ultra Star invested $130,000 in the upgrade, which will be unveiled to the general public this Friday for the film “TRON: Legacy.”  If all goes well, Ultra Star has stated that more of the seats may be deployed in the near future. Naturally, this amenity comes with an added service charge; $8 extra, bringing a 3D admission ticket to $20.75 for the motion seats.

For those unfamiliar with D-Box; the service involves specially constructed seating which moves in tandem with action seen on screen. In addition to requiring seating fixtures with three actuators and projection communication lines, the technology also entails a custom designed “motion track” code be in place on the feature being shown.  

As cutting edge and high tech as this system may be, one can’t help but recall past cinematic novelties, such as the earth shaking sound of Sensurround or electrified “Percepto” buzzer seats employed for “The Tingler”. In an apparent case of history repeating itself, the industry once again turns to gimmicks during lean times. Is it only a matter of time before we see some incarnation of Smell-O-Vision?