10 Upcoming Trends That Will Change Movies Forever

5. 4D

The 3D movie revolution took off in 2009, with the previously-kitschy, novel format being brought back in a more robust and effective way, headlined by James Cameron's Avatar. Though the format has its share of rightful detractors, 3D is a sly way for studios to boost their revenue, and even as 3D attendance has dwindled over time, it still proves to be an effective way to milk even more money out of a blockbuster movie. But what about the future? 4D has been around for decades in theme parks as short special attractions for kids, whereby water will be squirted "out of the screen" if a character throws a bucket of water at it, and seats will rumble around to simulate spaceflight and so on. In Korea, Avatar could even be seen in 4D, including moving seats, laser beams, explosion smells and wind, and though 4D film is a vague marketing term which doesn't have a strict definition (due to the screenings not actually being 4D in the scientific sense), the screenings were regularly sold out, and have been a huge hit in the country. Though the cost of setting up a 4D cinema is huge, it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see it taking off as the next cinema "event", in much the same way as 3D and D-Box experiences have attempted to make going to the cinema something special to be savoured. It would probably take Korean 4D specialists CJ 4DPlex striking a deal with local cinema chains to make it work, but for a feature length movie rather than a silly theme park attraction, it could really be something special indeed.