Exhibitors are adding immersive formats on several continents at once. Pathé will open four ScreenX auditoriums across France, Belgium and the Netherlands by year’s end, while HOYTS plans three more, including its first in New Zealand. These are additions to existing partnerships, rather than one-off experiments.

Argentina-based Lumma is growing on a parallel track. Cinemark is adding a 4D E-Motion auditorium at Buenos Aires’ Abasto Shopping, opening 12 October. OCINE has opened its fifth in Spain, and Omniplex has inaugurated Scotland’s first at its Glasgow Renfrew Street cinema. Cinemark and OCINE both point to audience demand as reasons to keep expanding, though the announcements do not give us comparable financial results for the auditoriums.

The more revealing development may be on the content side. M Studio, Channel 3 and CJ 4DPLEX are bringing the Thai film “Thi Yod: Saming Khao Khwang” to ScreenX on 30 September, describing it as the first Thai film presented in the format. M Studio says its forest, action and horror elements made it a creative fit for the panoramic presentation. A local production is being adapted for ScreenX, rather than the format relying solely on imported Hollywood releases.

More installations show exhibitors investing in experiences they cannot offer in a standard auditorium. Whether each earns its premium over time remains a question for operators. But the Thai release points to the next opportunity: giving those auditoriums a broader slate of films that audiences in each market already want to see.