Lotte Cinema World Tower “SUPER｜MX4D” (Image courtesy of Lotte Cinema)
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — With nationwide theater attendance still sluggish, South Korean cinema operators are increasingly turning to high-tech “special formats” — such as 3D, 4D, and premium immersive auditoriums — to give moviegoers a reason to return.
Megabox, one of the country’s major multiplex chains, said Wednesday that revenue from its premium technology auditoriums, including MX4D and Dolby Cinema, accounted for 14.4 percent of total box-office sales from January to November. That share is nearly double the 7.7 percent recorded during the same period last year.
Executives attribute the surge to a convergence of factors: the popularity of titles that benefit from enhanced formats — such as F1: The Movie, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, and Attack on Titan: The Last Attack — and steady upgrades to theater infrastructure.
F1: The Movie, released in June, maintained an unusually long 94-day run in Dolby auditoriums due to sustained audience demand. At Megabox, nearly 88 percent of viewers who watched Attack on Titan: The Last Attack in special-format theaters opted for MX4D seats, underscoring a preference for motion-enhanced viewing experiences.
CJ CGV Sangam Theater No. 7, known as a representative 4D cinema, features the ’4Dplex’ experience. (Photo courtesy of CJ CGV)
Megabox has opened or remodeled eight premium auditoriums this year alone, introducing reclining seats and updated projection technologies at several locations nationwide. The company expects the competitive advantage of such high-end formats to become more pronounced by 2026 and plans to expand offerings such as live-performance broadcasts and VR concerts.
CJ 4DPLEX, the CJ CGV subsidiary behind 4DX and ScreenX, reported similarly strong momentum, with third-quarter revenue for the formats rising 56 percent year-on-year. The company said upcoming releases — spanning Hollywood blockbusters, Japanese animation, and K-pop concert films — are expected to further strengthen demand.
“As special-format viewing becomes a cultural trend across genres, we will continue expanding the value of immersive, multisensory content,” a CJ 4DPLEX official said.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
