D-Box seats can turn action sequences into amusement park rides.
is fighting a giant monster thingy, and it feels like I’m fighting the thingy too. I’m watching the new “ Superman ” movie from a D-Box seat at Cinemark ’s Huntsville , Alabama theater, with the seat’s effects turned all the way up.
Simply put, D-Box is a movie theater seat that moves. They’re coded specifically for each movie, using internal haptics, the tech also used in smartphones, videogame controllers and virtual reality headsets, to simulate movement and touch. A D-Box is capable of 65,000 different nuanced haptic effects. “The really cool thing about D-Box,” says Cinemark publicist Julia McCartha, “is they work really closely with the movie studios and the directors, the producers, because they choreograph the D-Box movements for each specific film. So it’s not just a generic experience. You’re getting a perfectly synchronized experience for every single film.” A Canada-based venture, D-Box has worked with Cinemark for more than 10 years. The first Cinemark D-Box installation was late 2013 at a theater in the Houston area. McCartha says Tom Cruise’s blockbuster jetfighter sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” is a movie that “did incredibly well” with D-Box. This summer, Cinemark, a Plano, Texas-headquartered chain, brought D-Box to their Huntsville theater, located at outdoor shopping center Bridge Street Town Center. Movies in Huntsville programmed for D-Box so far have included horror flicks “Megan 2.0” and “28 Days Later,” Brad Pitt racing saga “F1” and dino-franchise installment “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Even family fare like “Lilo & Stitch.” “it’s just a really unique experience to kind of amplify that movie watching experience,” McCartha says, “no matter what genre of film you’re seeing.” Before giving D-Box a test-drive, I was skeptical. Never been much for watching movies with 3D goggles on. If a movie isn’t a good story well told with effective performances, to me, upsell tech is empty calories.But watching “Superman” from a D-Box seat proved me wrong. It took a few minutes to get used to the seat’s effects. At first, it was a little distracting. After getting acclimated, though, it elevated the experience of watching the movie.It doesn’t hurt that normal seats at Cinemark’s Huntsville theater are already posh. Comfy and reclinable. Unlike regular Cinemark seats which are black, D-Box are red in color. Otherwise they look pretty similar externally, except for a controller fixed to the right armrest. The controller allows the user to choose between low, medium and high D-Box settings. You can also turn the D-Box effects entirely off. The low setting enhances the onscreen action. Medium setting makes things immersive. Turned up all the way, it’s like an amusement park ride gone Hollywood. The new James Gunn-written/directed “Superman” is a good movie on its own, in my opinion. D-Box made it even more fun. Action scenes, like when Superman flies or battles bad guys, are, as expected, the most effective D-Box-enhanced parts of the movie. Thankfully the D-Box wasn’t coded for a scene in which Superman’s alter-ego Clark Kent makes out with journalist/girlfriend Lois Lane. It’s funny to imagine D-Box for an erotic thriller like say “Basic Instinct” or “Eyes Wide Shut.” The running time for “Superman” is 2 hours 10 minutes. Usually, action sequences towards the end of a movie like that are laborious for me. Like, enough already. But with D-Box, I was still fully engaged with “Superman” action, all the way to the end. It costs about five to six bucks extra to see a movie with D-Box at Cinemark Huntsville. That’s on top of, for a standard format screening, not 3D or XD, around $13 or for matinee around $9. Cinemark auditoriums usually have two or three rows devoted to D-Box seating, about 20 to 30 seats. “We’ve have seen so much great feedback for these seats,” McCartha says, “that we have the largest footprint of D-Box among any movie theater chain.” More than 425 Cinemark auditoriums across the U.S. and Latin America are D-Box-equipped. They’re planning to add 70 more auditoriums in the U.S. in the next 18 months. That’s in line with what Cinemark has done for years in Huntsville, where concessions extend from classics like popcorn and soda to kicked-up options like sushi rolls and craft beer. The concessions line there is a mini maze. Winding through, you can pick up a boxed Pizza Hut pie. Or movie merchandise like a $30 “Jurassic World Rebirth” popcorn promo shaped like a T. Rex head. “We always want to provide that really immersive experience,” McCartha says, “from the second you walk into our theaters.” A seat that moves will never supplant stars, plot and cinematography. But D-Box can be tasty gravy. And unlike 3D glasses, you don’t have to wear it on your face.If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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