With cinemas in battle with movie piracy, streaming subscriptions and giant TV screens matched with home surround sound systems, it is no surprise that attendance in 2017 was the lowest it has been in 24 years.
Despite these issues, is there really any comparison to going to comedy or a horror with a hundred or more strangers, and laughing/screaming in unison at the same joke/shock?
That sense of community while watching a movie cannot be replicated anywhere but at the cinema, and for those who have visited a local IMAX screen, they'll know the home systems still have a long way to go before they can compete with a screen and surround sound set up like that.
Other countries around the world have already invested in the next step in cinemas, and we're delighted to announced that Ireland will soon be joining the market in 4DX screens.
Cineworld in Dublin, which was also the location of Ireland's first IMAX screen, will be launching the 4DX screen this summer, with construction taking place within one of the pre-existing screens over the next 10 to 12 weeks.
The goal is to have the screen up and running for May, which would mean the first major new release in the screen may well be Solo: A Star Wars Story, or it may premiere with a 4DX screening of Avengers: Infinity War.
Cineworld's Regional Field Manager Simon Edwards spoke exclusively to JOE about the screen, calling it "The absolute cutting edge of cinema at the moment", before telling us what to expect from the new screen.
Effectively, the cinema screen will house 150 specialised seats, all of which will be capable of movement to match the actions on the screen. If the hero is flying, your chair will fill like it is lightly rising. If there is a car-crash on screen, your chair will rock from side to side.
Additionally, there will be water jets, "fog" exhausts, strobe lighting, scent outlets and something called "the tickler" (which will be found under your seat to rub passed your legs), all of which combined will lead to the most immersive cinema experience possible.
Sky News produced an entire video segment on the features of the screen when they were launched in the UK, which you can check out below:
Clip via Sky News
