NEW BERLIN, Wis. — In cooperation with cinema tech company CJ 4DPLEX, Marcus Corp. CEO Greg Marcus introduced Wisconsin’s first Screen X movie theatre at Marcus Ridge Cinema in New Berlin on Monday; offering a new way to experience your favorite film on the big screens.
The new Screen X theatre at Marcus Ridge Cinema is equipped with a 270-degree screen that wraps around three walls in a theatre to provide an immersive movie-going experience with state-of-the-art visuals and sound to make viewers feel like they’re inside the movie.
“The best way to describe it is like a pair of wraparound sunglasses, but you look on the inside,” Marcus told WTMJ’s Jason Smith. “You project the image across all the walls, and it immerses you in the movie-going experience.”
During the reveal, Marcus projected scenes from various critically-acclaimed films focused on their visual storytelling including Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. III and Bohemian Rhapsody.
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However, the Screen X theatre’s launch has been specifically tied to the upcoming Sci-Fi/Action/Drama film ‘The Creator.’ The film’s director, Gareth Edwards, has been a longtime Visual Effects leader in Hollywood who has since moved on to direct blockbuster Sci-Fi/Action films including the 2014 Godzilla reboot and the 2016 Star Wars prequel, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
These visuals are sure to dazzle on screen for viewers who catch Wisconsin’s first round of Screen X showings, but when push comes to shove, Marcus still views it as an add-on for spectacle films that shouldn’t detract audiences from seeing new movies on a normal silver screen either.
“At the end of the day, movies are about great stories. I don’t care how many dimensions you show them in, or how many walls you project them on, a great story is a great story,” Marcus said. “But when they’re visually spectacular like you do with [some of the films showcased], it’s a great way to see the movie!”
While this is the first Screen X theatre in the state, it’s the second launched in a Marcus theatre with Marcus Gurnee Mills Cinema in Illinois being the first to try out this evolving technology. According to CJ 4DPLEX, there are 359 Screen X auditoriums across 38 different countries around the world.
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