3-D movies 'blown away' by 4-D innovation

Nowadays it seems almost all action blockbusters and animated films are being released in 3-D format. And more theaters are converting their screens to "IMAX" as well, including theaters in Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Tampa. But there's a new phenomena developing in traditional theater-going technology: 4-D.

A South Korean conglomerate, CJ Group, has come out with its own "4DX system." The group outfits theaters with everything from rumble seats, strobe lights, and fog machines to tiny misters that can emit over 1,000 different scents. CJ already operates over 29 specialty theaters in South Korea, Thailand, and Mexico and is looking to expand into the U.S. market. A deal is currently in negotiation with a nationwide U.S. theater group to open over 200 4-D theaters, beginning in major cities like New York and Los Angeles.

This latest effort to immerse theater-goers more fully into films is predicted to bring more revenue to declining multiplexes that have suffered along with the faltering U.S. economy. Tickets are predicted to run $8 or more above traditional "2-D" film prices. And with the advent of home movie options such as Redbox and Blockbuster kiosks theater companies are looking to boost the attractiveness of getting out of the house for a truly unique movie-going experience.

However, this technology isn't brand new. Tampa Bay residents have already been experiencing it for several years now, just not in the traditional movie theater setting. Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay has been showing short films in its "Timbuktu Theater" that include 4-D effects. Its "Pirates 4-D" and Sesame Street's "Lights, Camera, Imagination" include fog machines, water sprayers, and rumble seats.

But for now, U.S. audiences will have to be content to see summer action blockbusters like "The Amazing Spider-Man," "The Avengers," and soon to be released, "The Dark Knight Rises" in plain old 3-D.