An immersive, panoramic view coming soon to a theater near you in Addison

Marcus Addison Cinema will be the first movie theater in Illinois to offer the 270-degree SCREENX auditorium.

SCREENX debuts in Addison on April 29 with an invitation-only preview of Marvel Studio’s “Thunderbolts,” and public screenings of the film beginning May 1. It offers panoramic views by extending some scenes onto the left and right walls of the auditorium at 1555 W. Lake St.

Marcus Theatres President Mark Gramz said SCREENX uses three laser projectors, one pointed at the main center screen and two side projectors directed to opposite walls, which are treated with a reflective screen material.

Developed by Seoul-based CJ 4DPLEX, the company says SCREENX viewers may experience up to 300% more picture “during key scenes that have selectively been augmented in collaboration with filmmakers and studios.”

Gramz said the “effect-driven” product generally utilizes from 30 to 60 minutes of a two-hour movie. It is most effective for scenes involving special effects, action, concert performances, air flight and racing.

The technology delivers continuity, he added, as action on the front screen blends into the side walls.

“It provides for a more immersive experience in terms of moviegoing that can’t be replicated at home,” Gramz said from Marcus’ Milwaukee headquarters.

“When you get the right film, like a ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ or the concert sequence in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ for example, you feel like you’re immersed in the action. You feel like you’re in the pilot seat, or you’re part of the audience at Wembley Stadium for the Live Aid concert,” he said.

CJ 4DPLEX’s partnership with Marcus Theatres will bring the technology to Marcus Cinemas in Addison as well as to Columbus, Ohio, and Shakopee, Minnesota. Each of these theaters will feature recliner seating.

Marcus Theatres’ first SCREENX theater launched in September 2023 in Marcus Ridge Cinema in New Berlin, Wisconsin, south of Milwaukee. Overall, there are more than 425 SCREENX auditoriums in 40 countries.

“People really like it,” said Marcus Ridge Cinema General Manager Jeff Sterling.

“It does do well. We get a lot of requests for it. People come from a long way away to see it. We’ve had people drive up from Illinois,” Sterling said, noting that some concert films will utilize all three screens “close to 100%” of their run time.

Also on the roster of CJ 4DPLEX’s immersive theater technologies is 4DX, which has a location at Marcus Gurnee Mills in Gurnee. The 4DX auditorium incorporates movement, vibration, water, lightning, scent and other special effects to go along with the action on the screen.

Gramz said Addison Cinema was chosen for SCREENX because the 50-foot front screen and the 80-foot side screens “work well for this product.”

Also, he said, its effectiveness with action films serves the clientele.

“The audience in that area Addison serves has an affinity for those type of attractions,” Gramz said.