Big-Screen Magic: Lights, Camera, Virtual Reality.

And the Oscar Goes To… The New Kind of Cinema.

At least if you ask us — because yes, we’re absolutely thrilled! 120 years of cinema… and then came the first virtual reality films. Virtual. Reality. Films. Warner Bros, MGM, director Steven Spielberg, and cinema giant AMC wanted to bring VR films to the big screen. And AMC Entertainment invested a solid 20 million dollars into the startup Dreamscape Immersive to help make that vision a reality.

More than just cinema — a wow experience that excites.

This isn’t just about relaxed popcorn viewing and passively watching a film. There’s much more possible now. VR films in the cinema mean full-body VR action. Dreamscape Immersive calls it motion-capture technology: up to six people can dive into a shared full-body experience and interact with each other as virtual identities.

Cinema, redefined.

At launch, there was talk of opening six VR cinemas within the first 18 months in the US and UK. VR attractions by cinema operators and amusement parks are gaining traction and are now a frequent topic across the industry. In Los Angeles, IMAX Corporation has opened a VR arcade that delivers real wow moments. In Germany, theme parks like LEGOLAND are already integrating VR. But let’s go back to the cinema itself: it will continue to change — and continue to fascinate. Which is why we’ll end with a quote that once again highlights the power of film:

"The cinema — storytelling in a flow of consecutive images which meet in secret, poetic understanding — is an ancient artform, the celluloid film strip just its latest technical phase. Latest, not last. We will soon be filming without film and without tapes."
— Bengt Idestam-Almquist