AMC Entertainment has partnered with South Korea’s CJ 4DPlex to launch 65 premium format cinemas at locations across the US and Europe.
The move will see 25 ScreenX locations begin opening this summer and 40 4DX installations start their rollout this autumn. All are expected to be operating by 2027.
It marks the first global collaboration between US-based AMC, the world’s biggest exhibition chain, and CJ 4DPlex, a subsidiary of Korea’s leading entertainment conglomerate CJ Group. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
ScreenX is a panoramic film format that uses a multi-projection system to extend selected sequences of a film onto the left and right side walls of an auditorium. It operates in more than 400 screens worldwide with ambitions to expand that number in excess of 1,000.
4DX is a ‘multi-sensory’ system that combines motion-based seating with effects simulating scents, lighting and even weather from the on-screen content. 4DX is installed in nearly 800 auditoriums, almost a third of them in China.
“This partnership comes as we’ve secured our largest film slate ever for both ScreenX and 4DX while simultaneously strengthening our relationships with filmmakers and major studios,” said Don Savant, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX America.
Upcoming titles set for release in ScreenX and 4DX include A Minecraft Movie, Sinners, Thunderbolts*, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Ballerina, How To Train Your Dragon, 28 Years Later, F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
“As the entertainment landscape evolves, AMC continues to lead the industry by embracing innovative technologies and premium experiences that redefine what it means to enjoy a movie,” said Adam Aron, chairman and CEO of AMC Entertainment.
AMC operates 900 theatres and 10,000 screens around the world under its AMC Theatres brand in the US, and under Odeon Cinemas and other brands in Europe and in the Middle East.
Premium formats are playing a critical role in bringing audiences back to theatres post-pandemic.
The number of premium format screens worldwide increased to 7,830 in 2023, with premium large-format (PLF) screens rising 3% to 5,560, according to UK analysis firm Omdia.
In North America, the PLF count was up 2.5% to 1,585; in Eastern Europe it rose 8.5% to 177; and in Western Europe it surged 18.5% to 555.
At the box office, premium-format screens are accounting for a growing share of sales, due to their higher ticket prices. They contributed 15.6% of overall North American box office in 2024, according to Comscore, compared to 14.5% in 2023 and 10.3% in pre-pandemic 2019.
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