SAN ANTONIO — "Twisters" is a breakout summer hit, having humbled box office forecasters with an $80.5 million opening in North America—one of the biggest success stories of the blockbuster season thus far.
Emerging from the disaster drama in IMAX is enough to leave moviegoers rattled given the monstrosity of the tornadoes Austin native Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos find themselves wrangling. But just one theater format is being billed as the most immersive way to watch "Twisters."
Immersive enough, it appears, to make you consider bringing a poncho.
"The seats move and sway, air blasts you in your neck, you feel impacts in your back, and flashes of lightning appear from the sides of the screen," wrote Benny Har-Even in Forbes about watching "Twisters" in 4DX, which literalizes the experience of watching a summer blockbuster as if you were on a theme park ride.
While actual amusement parks have often featured simulator-type attractions with moving seats and elemental effects for years, 4DX has brought the experience straight to multiplexes. The international company CJ 4DPLEX is credited with having debuted it with the sci-fi epic "Avatar" in the late-2000s, according to Variety, before expanding the network of locations abroad and through the U.S. in the 2010s.
What once might have been seen as a gimmick to squeeze a few extra dollars out of customers, however, appears to have been fully and finally embraced with "Twisters."
"There are bursts of wind, trickles of rain, and fog... You're also guaranteed a heightened communal experience," wrote Kyndall Cunningham for Vox, later acknowledging that the thrill-ride nature of the format might've made it difficult to "respond properly to the tone the film was trying to create in certain moments."
Still, in covering 4DX for the New York Times, Neima Jahromi detailed that flexible straws might smack your ankles to mimic critters running on the floor. Want to see some snow? For the right movie, fake flakes will drift down. Meanwhile, TikTok videos providing a glimpse at seas of seats rocking and swaying in sync with onscreen action have gone viral on TikTok since the release of "Twisters," bringing 4DX even more into the mainstream this week.
Look enticing? 4DX makes a fun moviegoing experience even more memorable, by all indications. So long as you don't mind some potential bruises.
And, thanks to popular demand, "Twisters" will be returning to 4DX theaters in Texas this weekend after "Deadpool & Wolverine" briefly took them over.
What about in San Antonio?
The bad news for San Antonio movie lovers, however, is that while the Times says there are 50 4DX theaters in the U.S., none of them appear to be in the Alamo City.
Representatives with Cinemark and Santikos told KENS 5 their companies don't offer 4DX anywhere. The latter said it's believed Regal is the most popular chain for the format.
Regal's corporate team said it had half a dozen locations that offered 4DX in Texas, but none in the Alamo City. Instead, viewers here can treat themselves to RPX.
Wait, what's RPX?
Good question.
It seems like a new movie theater format pops up every few years, a jumble of seemingly random letters that don't mean very much off the bat. IMAX has been able to carve out its own brand, referring to the screening format that lets audiences take in 26% more picture when watching movies optimized for it, such as "Oppenheimer," "Tenet" and "First Man." (Even better is IMAX 70mm, which AMC Rivercenter downtown is uniquely equipped for.)
Then there are a plethora of other formats to untangle, among them AVX, D-Box, RPX and 4DX. The gist is that each promises some combination of extra-crisp picture, pristine sound and additional features.
AVX, which many Santikos locations feature, boasts a bigger screen and 4K digital projections, along with surround sound and luxury seating. RPX, or Regal Premium Experience, offers its own "state-of-the-art" tech with better sound and projection, along with vibration-equipped "ButtKicker" seating. D-Box is similar, offering seats with haptics movements that bring you deeper into a movie.
4DX, then, can be thought of as a more elemental movie going experience, enhancing screenings with atmospheric effects (cue the wind and fog of "Twisters") to make you feel like you're escaping certain death right alongside Glen Powell. Other recent movies that have utilized the format include "A Quiet Place: Day One" and "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga."
Sooo... where is the closest 4DX cinema?
Also a good question. The Houston area has a couple 4DX-equipped theaters, but thankfully there's nearer locations.
If you want to experience 4DX for yourself, it's looking like San Antonio moviegoers' best bet is to head to Austin, where two Regal theaters are screening "Deadpool & Wolverine" in 4DX this weekend. It's unclear how exactly 4DX effects will be used in that highly anticipated team-up, but don't expect blades to come piercing through your seats.
These are all the Regal locations that offer 4DX in Texas, according to the company:
- Regal Gateway (9700 Stonelake Blvd. in Austin)
- Regal Metropolitan (901 Little Texas Lane in Austin)
- Regal Benders Landing (4495 Riley Fuzzel Road in Spring)
- Regal Lone Star (24720 Tomball Parkway in Houston)
- Regal Edwards Houston Marq'E (7600 Katy Freeway in Houston)
- Regal Edwards Greenway Grand Palace (3839 Weslayan St. in Houston)
