Which one is better, 4DX or IMAX? We chime in on the old debate
A discussion that has spanned many years now since the introduction of more immersive cinema experiences.
As companies constantly attempt to make the next immersive cinema experience there only seems to be these two in contention.
Screen-X has tried to get into the mix but it just doesn’t quite have the immersion of the two technologies in question today.
Let’s take a closer look at each technology before we deliver our verdict of this cinema immersion contest but before we do let’s dive into a few facts about these two movie experiences.
IMAX’s highest grossing film was Avengers: Endgame and Avatar: The Way of Water holds the record for the highest-grossing 4DX release bringing in $85 million.
The world’s largest IMAX is located in Leonberg, Germany. Its screen measures 38.80m x 21.00 m (127.2 ft x 68.8 ft).
Let’s dive straight into our thoughts on 4DX before we address IMAX.
4DX
Using motion seats combined with scents and elemental effects such as rain, wind, snow and fog 4DX creates one hell of a cinematic experience!
You will feel every inch of the motion that is happening on screen. Car chase sequences where your seat will mimic every corner taken or fight sequences where certain hard-hitting punches will give you a little prod in the back.
Whilst you know you’re sitting in a seat watching a movie, 4DX makes that seat all the more interesting.
Watching Lion King on the big screen and whole cinema smelled of a meadow as your seat lulled through the cameras slow panning. It was truly magical.
4DX comes into its own when watching animations. Frozen 2 was one of the best 4DX experiences I’ve ever experienced.
The cinema had snow falling from the sky, it was icy cool in there and the fans were blowing wind around my hair. It was truly immersive.
Other 4DX movies such as Hobbs and Shaw were horrific 4DX experiences.
Being constantly prodded jolted so much that I was detached from the film on the screen.
Then such movies as Birds Of Prey had next to zero effects throughout. A complete waste of money for a 4DX experience!
But this could have been down to the cinema saving a few pennies and not giving us a proper show rather than a 4DX programming mistake.
Karen Woodham at Blazing Minds review of Birds of Prey in 4DX seems much more colourful than my own experience.
4DX during horror movies is perfect for amping up the scares as puffs of wind hit the back of your neck during scary sequences.
It really does depend on what movies you watch but I definitely found Disney to be the pioneers for well calibrated 4DX experiences.
4DX is perfect for:
*Animations (especially Disney)
*Live-Action films
*Horror movies
*Action flicks (if you can handle it)
4DX is not so good for:
*Slow story-driven movies (no action)
*Dramas
*Comedy movies that aren’t animated
It’s only during intense 4DX sequences of motion does the technology become distracting.
The fog and bubble effects are quite poor as they only occur right at the front of the cinema. You need to pray for a good gush of fan air to drive the fog your way and every time I’ve been to a screening the fog machines are hardly ever working!
Somethings you enter a cinema with a loud fan and when the wind effects occur it completely drowns out the dialogue on screen. That’s annoying!
But once again that’s a maintenance issue that the cinema should be taking care of and is of no fault of the 4DX tech itself.
Running Costs
A cost issue is also factored into the equation as the maintenance costs, effects, scents to purchase etc they all add up.
So when a cinema is half-assing a movie it’s not usually the fault of 4DX programming. It could be the simple case of a cinema not justifying the running costs and cutting corners to save a few pounds.
Countries like Singapore and Japan are notorious for fully committing to their 4DX and I can imagine their 4DX experiences are some of the best in the world.
The scents are also an issue. 4DX claim to have over 20 scents for films yet I’ve only ever smelled two scents (meadow and sea breeze). This could be a choice of the cinema and their budget rather than a 4DX issue. The UK 4DX scene certainly has a very poor limited range.
If you’re experiencing 4DX for the first time you’ll love the two scents but once you’ve seen a good 30+ 4DX movies, things get a little tiresome.
You can still take nothing away from that first time though.
I remember watching a cruise advert and smelling the sea breeze with the sea rocking seat motion. That was true immersion!
IMAX
IMAX theatres have giant screens and amped-up sound systems. Creating a screen so big that it feels as though you are in the movie itself.
Standing head and shoulders over 4DX in terms of screen size a whole wall is dedicated to just screen, screen and more screen.
The only thing you can possibly look at in front of you is the IMAX screen. No fire extinguishers, no exit signs that distract you throughout a movie, just a huge vibrant screen.
IMAX, unliked 4DX is a technology that is embraced by filmmakers as it allows audiences to see a good 25% more of the picture.
A curved giant screen allows you to see much more than you would during a normal theatrical showing on a normal screen. Filmmakers intended the field of view to be bigger and better and IMAX makes that happen.
The issue with many IMAX cinemas thou is that the auditorium seating area is usually so small and cramped that there just isn’t too much room between you and the screen.
At the Manchester Printworks IMAX theatre, the seating area is tiny. The screen is so big that it actually drops down below your field of view! As a result, you’re losing a large chunk of viewing space.
Being so close to the screen it doesn’t matter where you sit, you’re forever looking up or at an angle. I found this to be an issue at many IMAX screens other than ones that have a big enough space for you to view with a reasonable distance from the big screen.
I’d very happily avoid going to the iMAX in Printworks, Manchester ever again unless you want neck ache from staring up at the screen no matter what seat you sit in.
IMAX only really comes into contention during grand scale movies. Giant set-piece heavy, vast scale movies. Any other film and it’s a neck pain-inducing distraction.
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People complain that the 4DX experience leaves you sore (it doesn’t) but creaking your neck up to watch an IMAX movie for around 2 hours is an uncomfortable experience.
Every single film I’ve seen in IMAX has been underwhelming, to say the least.
IMAX is perfect for:
*Grand Scale Blockbusters (Dunkirk, Avengers, etc)
IMAX is not so good for:
*Everything else
There is an IMAX tech demo introducing the immersive experience that starts before the movie beings that is ten times better than any film I’ve seen in IMAX.
A plane flies overhead and the sound system coupled with the giant screen literally has your seat shaking as this jet engine flies above you. It’s incredible. You’re excited about what the film will be like if that experience was that immersive.
The film begins.
You’re underwhelmed.
Nothing as grand or as brilliant happens. It’s just a big screen that hurts your neck to watch no matter where you sit.
You’re always feeling as thou you’re missing something on-screen and end up watching various segments of it rather than all of the screen.
4DX Vs IMAX – Who Is The Real Winner?
Many will go against the grain here and claim IMAX to be the most immersive purely because it’s a big screen. That’s it.
Whilst for me IMAX wins for the grand-scale films. The Nolan movies, 1917, CGI superhero films and films designed with scale in mind, it doesn’t win overall as an immersive experience.
IMAX delivers the scale, the size, and the audio but it ends there.
That immersive feeling as thou you’re in the movie or at least a part of the scene. That’s one step higher on the immersion chart. There can only be one winner for that and that’s 4DX when they get it right of course.
A truly theatrical experience (if you choose the right film) that just cannot be rivaled by a large curved screen.
Yes, the fog effects are poor sometimes, the motion isn’t always perfectly calibrated and the two scents just scratch the surface of how many they could use. But it’s immersive.
When it’s raining on screen, it’s raining in the cinema.
If it’s misty on-screen during a battle scene, fog is filling the auditorium (when the machines are working) to add to that eerie atmosphere.
Conclusion
When the camera is slowly panning over the pride lands in Lion King for example your chair is slowly moving with every camera movement.
That’s truly a magical experience that can’t be rivaled by a bigger screen. Disney 4DX movies are the most immersive cinema I’ve ever seen.
Disney works much more closely with 4DX and it shows. That theme park type experience, the magic and the final delivery of what you see on screen.
Disney films are by far the most impressive displays of 4DX technology.
It’ll be interesting to see how the studio work with the programmers on the exciting upcoming 4DXScreen technology.
Don’t even get me started on Sonic the Hedgehog, I was grinning from ear to ear with just how immersed I was through 4DX.
Every Sonic run sent a gust of wind over my hair and the seats moved just perfectly to what I was seeing on screen.
There really isn’t any competition between the two. Whilst 4DX is hit and miss when it gets it right and combined with the right movie it’s the best immersive cinema experience out there.
Want to know how 4DX technology works? Check out our article on that right HERE.
Check out all of our 4DX reviews
Please note – This article is not sponsored in any way shape or form and all of the above is the opinion of me and me alone.
Sean
