#5 - The D-Box experience...

I have wanted to try the D-Box seats installed at our local theater for some time, but have had a hard time justifying the extra price.  At $16.50 that is almost double the price of the regular ticket.  I know what you are saying if you live in a big city...that IS the cost of a regular ticket.  We are spoiled here in Utah and our evening shows are only $8.50, matinees just $6.   The Megaplex at the District, just a few minutes from my house, has 20 theaters to fill.  In fact, there are over 250 screens within a 45 minute drive of me, so it is easy to see why the prices are competitive here.  Utah is the home of the multi-screen theater.  If you look at the box office receipts for cult classics like Harry Potter or the Twilight series, Utah's Megaplex chain usually has the #1, #2 & #3 spots for opening night sales.  They take their movie going seriously here, so we are fortunate to have both an iMax and D-Box theater at our Megaplex.

For those who do not know what a D-Box seat is, think Star Tours or Soaring over California.  It is an interactive seat that moves with the movie to give you the experience of being "in" the movie.  The seats are comfy and spaced farther apart. They are a little higher off the ground so my feet dangled even more than usual.  They have a control setting and default to medium.  You can change the settings to high, low or off just below the armrest.  While the placement is easily accessible, I did accidentally change the settings several times when resting my hand on the armrest.

Trev was in town this week so I did a redux of Battle, Los Angeles.  Yes, it is worth seeing twice.  The first time was in the largest of the theaters, the one going all the way to row S.  I do enjoy an action film on the largest screen possible.  I also like sitting in the back row.  The D-Box theater is smaller with a smaller screen and the D-Box seats themselves are lower than I prefer to sit.  But the D-Box experience was pretty darn cool.  Every missile, gunshot, grenade and alien artillery rumbled my seat. Every helicopter or humvee ride felt as if I was in the vehicle.  And as the helicopters turned in flight, so did our seats.  I admit to getting a little motion sickness, but not sure if that was entirely the D-Box as the movie is filmed with a hand held camera. Nausea aside, it was AWESOME!  My companions also gave it a thumbs up. Definitely worth the extra bucks, but I might pack some Dramamine next time...