What will the movie theater of the future look like？ This South Korean Wanda company tells you the answer
My best friend, Xiaolu, is a Korean fan. When we met one weekend, she took me to Bipingge, a newly discovered restaurant, and said that the bibimbap here was not the same as what I had eaten before. During dinner, she kept giving me Amway, the Korean drama she had just watched –The Signal.and…
She said that these dramas were all produced by tvN, and the newly popular cable TV station’s ratings have repeatedly reached new highs, even breaking the monopoly of the old three channels such as KBS, MBC, and SBS. For example, the domestic variety shows "Grandpa Fancy" and "Sister Fancy" are also produced by tvN.
After dinner, Xiaolu took me to Tak Lok Day for dessert, and the delicious food in her mouth failed to stop her mouth. She kept gossiping: "Their Family" CNBlue’s lead singer Zheng Ronghe is in a new play; "Their Family" FTIsland’s lead singer Li Hongji announced his relationship; this year’s Mnet MAMA awards ceremony was held in Hong Kong, and she wanted to see idols live; Park Chan-wook’s "Miss" already has resources, but her favorite is Park Chan-wook’s early "Revenge Trilogy", and Bong Joon-ho’s…
Park Chan-wook’s "Revenge Trilogy"
Finally, we went to the CGV Star Gathering Studios to watch the movie, which was showing the ScreenX version. Although I didn’t want to watch this movie, I couldn’t stand the soft and hard bubble of the path. She persistently persuaded me: "This is the ScreenX version, 270 degrees, three sides are screens, how can you not experience it as a movie editor!"
ScreenX version of "Westward Journey 3"
In this way, I spent a "full and wonderful" day with the same avid Korean fan. It was not until last week that I was invited to visit CJ (CJ) Company in Korea, and I realized later that all these restaurants, Korean dramas, Korean movies, TV stations, artists, and even cinemas that Xiaolu likes are all products of CJ Company!
The company, which started in the sugar industry, is now the largest food company in South Korea. Its food and beverage brands include Bipingo, Tulak Day, Kushenshi Ice Cream and more. CJ has also brought together many of its own brands to form a food and beverage gathering area called CJ Foodworld, which can be seen in major business districts in Seoul.
The restaurant giant continued to expand. After investing in American DreamWorks in 1995, it began to enter the film and television entertainment industry, and its subsidiary CJ E & M became the largest entertainment media company in South Korea. CJ is the exclusive distribution agent of Paramount and DreamWorks in South Korea, and has also independently produced and distributed many other films. During the boom in Sino-Korean co-productions, CJ also began to cooperate with Chinese film and television companies to shoot other films.
In addition, CJ also owns multiple paid channels such as tvN and Mnet, and its subsidiaries have signed artists such as CNBlue, FTIsland, Li Xiaoli, and SG WANNABE. Its CGV is the largest cinema chain in South Korea, with a market share of over 47%.
CNBlue and FTIsland
Overall, this company is simply the Wanda of Korea. No wonder our Korean tour guide said that there are special books in Korea to teach you how to pass the CJ company’s entry test, and if you are admitted, it will be something the whole family will be proud of.
Although like many netizens, I don’t have a very good impression of South Korea because of the issues of World Heritage, territory, missiles, and fanatical Korean fans, this visit really made me feel that South Korea does have a lot to learn from. For example, the Wanda cinema chain, which is also the largest in China, has already set foot in the United States and Australia, but how much innovation does it have in service and technology? Friends who are movie theaters always ask, in addition to increasing sales and surrounding areas, how can we improve the profits of the theater? Looking at CJ’s CGV cinema, we can find that our cinema can do better in many aspects.
Comfortable and elegant viewing environment, higher quality user experience
Every time my friends ask me which theater in Beijing has a better environment, I have a hard time answering. I can name several theaters with poor viewing conditions, but I can’t say which one is particularly good. Even in several shopping districts with high shopping environments, the theater facilities are not particularly outstanding.
This time we visited the CGV cinema in Yeouido, with its modern architecture, spacious and bright waiting area, and textured details. This is what my ideal cinema should look like.
ticketing area
Surrounding sales area
Outside the cinema
Second, personalized and customized movie theaters to meet the needs of different groups of people
Watching a movie in Beijing, I accidentally bought a VIP cinema ticket a few times, and the leather seats with adjustable tilt are already exciting. But seeing the diverse services provided by CGV for different users, we found that we are really easy to satisfy.
Cine de ChefThe auditorium is designed like an art gallery, with top chefs cooking dishes, and audiences watching movies while tasting delicious food.
Gold ClassThe advanced cinema hall that borrows from the concept of first class aircraft is somewhat similar to the domestic VIP hall, except that a small table board is added to facilitate the audience to enjoy drinks and refreshments.
SweetboxA cinema specially designed for couples, with no armrests between each set of seats and higher baffles on both sides, forming an independent and private viewing space.
Cine KidsA cinema specially designed for children. The brightness and clarity of the film and the cinema seats are specially customized for the child audience, and full-time staff are arranged to take care of the child audience during the viewing process. The cinema also has a seating area for mothers waiting for their children, and a library for children to use before and after watching the movie.
The most "crazy" thing is that CGV even has a lot of varieties of popcorn. After more than a decade of development in domestic cinemas, there will always be only one flavor of popcorn, but CGV’s "popcorn factory" actually has banana, mango, onion, cheese, spicy curry, bacon, hot fried chicken and other flavors. In addition, CJ also plays its own strengths to combine its catering brands with cinemas to give audiences more dining options before and after watching movies.
III. Innovation in projection technology and equipment, there is no best, only better
Let us know 3D and IMAX, "The Hobbit" let me know 48 frames, "Billy Lynn" let us queue up to buy 120 frames. If it weren’t for the promotion of these films, the domestic projection technology, probably only the screen is experiencing the slow development from 0.8K to 2K to 4K. While the domestic film industry has repeatedly hit new highs and the movie box office has been rising, our projection equipment and technology have not made any qualitative leaps.
But the various special effects halls of CGV show us that there are many other possibilities besides 3D and IMAX. Like their ScreenX, 4DX, SphereX and SoundX, this X roughly represents unlimited imagination and creativity.
ScreenX is simply a three-sided screen. In addition to the front screen, the walls of the two flanks can also be screened as a visual extension or content supplement to the middle screen, providing the audience with a stronger sense of immersion and three-dimensionality.
In fact, this technology is not as simple as it sounds. It requires 3-7 projectors on each side according to the size of the theater, and then special software is used to combine all the images into a complete and seamless picture. And for the perfect presentation of the film content, during the shooting stage of the film, three cameras are required to shoot 270 degrees simultaneously. This also poses a big challenge for the film crew, because it needs to avoid all elements other than the picture, and the lighting, radio and other crew members have to try their best to avoid the painting.
Three cameras shoot simultaneously
Last year, China’s first ScreenX cinema was located in Wanda Cinema, and the ScreenX version was screened. So far, more than 20 cinemas in China have screened films such as "Kuaishou Gunner Fast Gunner", "Dangerous City" and "Journey to the West 3".
ScreenX version"Journey to the West 3"
However, these films are not all three screens, but the key paragraphs are three screens, because ScreenX’s greatest function is to set off and render the atmosphere, so it will be more visually impactful when used in big scenes such as explosions, actions, and car chases.
But I personally think that ScreenX is actually more suitable for the presentation of roll ads and concerts. The unusual presentation method will make the audience more impressed with the product. And concerts, stage plays, etc. are presented through ScreenX, which makes it easier for the audience to have an immersive feeling. Therefore, the documentary film "Bigbang Made", which marked the tenth anniversary of Bigbang’s debut, was released in Korea with a ScreenX version.
In addition, SoundX is a 3D stereo sound system, SphereX is a curved spherical screen, and 4DX is a 4D effect that allows the audience to immerse themselves in the movie’s plot through shakable seats, combined with hair, lightning, aroma, spray, and bubbles.
We also experienced the combination of 4D seats and the now popular VR glasses. This highly realistic and engaging presentation could become the future direction of gaming.
Why CJ has been able to create such a subdivided cinema and invent such innovative projection technology, I found the answer when visiting CJ E & M’s CCCC (Cultural Creation Convergence Center).
CJ employees are provided with free media-related books, various types of VR equipment, motion capture and a full set of recording equipment, so that employees can brainstorm in a high-quality environment and discover new, strange and special ideas and ideas. So in the final analysis, innovation is the key to mastering the future, and it is the core that allows us to build the latest cinemas.
