“You don’t face your fears. You ride ’em,” Glen Powell’s character Tyler says in the newest blockbuster Twisters. And that is certainly true when watching the movie in 4DX because you are actually riding along with the characters. Fans are becoming Twisters loyalists after immersing themselves in the “best movie experience” of their lives.
Twisters is the standalone sequel to the 1996 hit movie Twister starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, and Cary Elwes. The new film is directed by Lee Isaac Chung, who directed the Academy Award-nominated film Minari, and stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos. Like the original, the film follows a group of tornado chasers who get sucked up in the face of disaster. The film debuted as number one at the box office and made over $81.25 million in its opening weekend.
According to Variety, it might be thanks to the virality of 4DX. 4DX is not something totally new. Movies like Dune Part 2 and The Super Mario Movie have used this technology to enhance their own storytelling within the past year. Twisters brought in roughly $2.1 million in inaugural sales, and with people posting their before and after videos on TikTok and Twitter, many moviegoers are curious about the unexpected thrill. “There’s no better movie for this format,” Eduardo Acuna told the outlet, CEO of Regal Cinemas. “It’s like being on a theme park ride. You feel so immersed in the movie. You get moved emotionally and physically.”
So, what actually happens during a 4DX experience? Seats are equipped with motion-enabled features that rock and sway in sync with the movie. Environmental effects are also added with gusts of wind coming from wind machines, fog, and water sprayed (there’s an option on the seat that allows you to turn it off). It’s basically like a rollercoaster (or the defunct Twister…Ride it Out at Universal Studios, IYKYK) while going through a storm. But watchers beware, as the movie goes on the chaos only gets rockier and twistier.
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Many fans praised the use of special effects during their theater, with one X user writing, “if Twisters in 4DX had played at Cannes it would’ve won the Palme d’Or.” A TikTok that racked over 5 million views showed a sneak peak of what it’s like to be in the theater and the user wrote, “twisters 4dx is must see, it is truly a rollercoaster i thought i needed a seatbelt, everyone go see twisters in 4dx.”
Other people think it’s the only way to genuinely enjoy the movie. One X user wrote, “I only know people who have seen Twisters in 4DX. No one is seeing this movie in standard view. You’d miss out on the only thing that makes the movie fun, which is being nearly launched out of your seat throughout roughly 70% of the movie.” Not to mention, it’s a live changing experience. “Just saw my first 4DX film (TWISTERS) and boy does that preposterous novelty gizmo tech elevate the movie from “fine, sure, whatever” to THE MOST FUN I’VE HAD IN MAYBE A DECADE,” another person posted.
If that doesn’t convince you, a couple of fans got a special surprise appearance in their 4DX theater from the stars themselves: Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Just make sure you don’t buy too much popcorn and drinks so you don’t spill them.
