It will take a lot of time and effort until virtual reality effectively becomes mainstream technology. In South Korea, a rather intriguing initiative is taking place. Various movie theatres are adding VR functionality to their movie offerings.
South Korean VR Movie Theaters
Unlike what some people may expect, these are not new VR cinemas being created. Instead, existing movie theatres are embracing VR technology as some sort of an experiment. The Korean film industry has high hopes for VR, as more and more content for this medium is being created. As such, they hope to make VR movie experiences a mainstream trend in the near future.
To accommodate that new trend, various movie theatres are embracing the VR concept in general. Various movies are hitting the theatres, and the overall experience is being enhanced. It should create a more immersive movie-going experience, although this may not necessarily become a trend outside of South Korea anytime soon.
Director Bryan Ku explains this trend as follows:
“When you think about VR, most of the time it would be either adventure, action or horror films. I believe the greatest quality of VR lies in its capacity to let the audiences relate to the film emotionally, and romance drama is the genre that corresponds the most to this quality.”
Some theatres take this VR venture very seriously. CJ CGV plans to introduce 4DX VR capabilities to its 500 locations around the world. Lotte Cinema has a special program dedicated to VR. Some locations also introduce touch, smell, and feel for an even more immersive experience. Slowly but surely, virtual reality is making headway, but there’s still a long way to go.
Header image courtesy of Shutterstock
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