Motion-enhanced seats will move moviegoers

There's a new way to put the motion in motion pictures at Galaxy Theatres' 14-screen Cannery multiplex in North Las Vegas.

On Wednesday, along with the arrival of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the theater debuted 22 D-BOX Motion-enhanced seats in one auditorium that will move audiences -- literally -- as they watch the movie.

Or, as Galaxy president Rafe Cohen phrases it, "Jump in a red seat and you're ready for action."

The plush red-upholstered seats rock and roll in concert with the movie, enabling audiences to feel as well as watch the characters' moves.

At a recent preview, audiences rode along with footage from "Fast & Furious," viscerally sharing every squealing-tire, hit-the-brakes jolt during a perilous multivehicle hijacking scene.

"Woo-hoo! That rocked!" one audience member cheered following the demonstration. "I really got into it."

A lobby setup lets theater patrons test drive the new D-BOX technology, which "really immerses you in the movie experience and adds to the adventure," Cohen says.

Galaxy will add an $8 premium to regular ticket prices for those who want to sit in the D-BOX seats.

The Cannery represents Southern Nevada's first D-BOX location; six other North American theaters also feature the technology, which was adapted for the big-screen following DVD and Blu-Ray Disc versions, according to Guy Marcoux, D-BOX marketing director.

It takes 300 hours to code a movie, frame by frame, for "under a half-hour of motion effects," he says.

And while "a typical movie is about one-third encoded with motion effects, we're only adding motion when it's justified," he says.

Overall, "We're trying to establish a world standard in immersive entertainment," Marcoux says. "From the surveys we've done, there's a 99 percent satisfaction rate. People are loving it."

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.