In the wake of the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, attendance has been up markedly at Universal Orlando. But folks clamoring to take a ride on the signature attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, may have a less-costly and more pragmatic (if not exactly equivalent) alternative to making a pilgrimage to the Florida theme park resort: their local cineplex. Movie theaters outfitted with D-Box seating, a relatively new feature that allows specially equipped seats to rumble and move in sync with a film's projected action, will be showcasing the technology with the November 19th release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Currently available in a handful of theaters around the world, more moviegoers will be able to sample D-Box as it rolls out to additional locations and more Hollywood releases incorporate the motion code technology. Other recent and upcoming D-Box films include Tron Legacy and Jackass 3D. Participating theaters typically outfit one auditorium of their multi-screen cineplexes with a section of about 25 motion seats and tack on around $8 above the cost of a regular ticket for the premium experience.
While not nearly as sophisticated as theme park motion simulator tour-de-forces such as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey or The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, D-Box-enabled films do bring a taste of the ride film concept to neighborhood movie theaters. And a D-Box showing of a popular movie lasts considerably longer than the typical 4-minute theme park attraction.
This isn't the first time that cineplexes have ventured into the theme park realm. A few years ago, some movie houses added small, dedicated motion simulator theaters to their complexes and showed the same library of short, proprietary features available at many parks. However, I believe that most, if not all, conventional cinemas removed their park-style ride film theaters.
In an earlier blog, I questioned whether the expansion of high-quality 3D films such as Avatar makes the 3D attractions at theme parks less special--or possibly irrelevant. Similarly, might D-Box movies dilute the appeal of motion simulator rides at parks? I dunno. I'm planning to check out the Potter film at a nearby theater that recently added the D-Box option, and I'll report on my experience.