4DX wants to take you inside films like 'Batman v Superman' - CNET

"It took us five years to get to New York City finally," said Brendon Choi, the CEO of CJ 4DPLEX, the Seoul, South Korea-based entertainment firm that owns and manages the 4DX experience, at the demo.

Another 4DX theater is set to launch April 28 at the Regal E-Walk 13 located near Times Square. The tech is also being used at a Regal theater in Los Angeles and a Marcus Theatres location in Guee, Illinois. There are two 4DX theaters in the UK, according to the company's website, but none currently listed in Australia.

The technology brings seats that shake, blowing wind, lighting effects, fog that fumes in front of the screen and even water that sprays out from the seats. All of this is designed to draw movie watchers deeper into the cinematic experience. Blockbusters like "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "Jurassic World" were among this year's movies to get the 4DX treatment.

The 4DX seats are larger than the usual movie seat. Instead of placing your feet on the floor, they sit in a foot rest attached to the chair. The demo, which took place last week, lasted for about 20 minutes. We saw a short reel highlighting several of the effects and the first few moments of DC Comics' new superhero showdown.

Some of the effects were both subtle and profound. The wind in the opening of "Batman v Superman" enveloped me as if I was standing at that chilly funeral. The vibration of the seat added some context as to what it could feel like running through the ravaged city seen in the beginning of the movie

However, a number of the effects were jarring. The most obtrusive was the occasional blast of air right into my ears. There were also lighting effects and smoke, and while neither obscured my view, they called more attention to the theater than the film itself. I didn't notice the water spritz during my demo (an effect that can be tued off by flipping a switch on the seat).

CJ 4DPLEX works with the final version of the film to create effects used inside the theater, but movie studios do get involved in deciding how the experience plays out, said Sang H. Cho, the company's head of content partnerships. Upcoming movies mentioned that will use the tech include "The Huntsman: Winter's War," "The Jungle Book" and "Captain America: Civil War."