When studios get spooked by emerging technologies—like when television exploded in popularity in the 1950s—they respond with spectacle. To get people out of their living rooms and back into theaters, they have historically leaned into immersive innovations to make the movies feel like “more.” While widescreen formats like CinemaScope and vibrant Technicolor changed cinema forever, others gimmicks, like red-and-blue 3D glasses or William Castle’s vibrating “Percepto!” seats, were more novelty than game changer.
Sixty years later, when HD TVs and streaming services started keeping audiences at home, studios dusted off the same playbook. In 2009, Digital 3D made a huge comeback starting with Avatar, while 4DX screenings—with moving seats and water sprays—continue Castle’s legacy of sensory overload. And premium large formats like IMAX have become so central to a major movie’s success that studios will adjust release dates just to claim those screens.
But while Hollywood’s immersive experiences are engineered from the top down, art houses and independent screens take a more grassroots approach: audience immersion fueled by passion and participation. Just look at “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” still going strong after nearly 50 years thanks to its ever-evolving “shadow cast” screenings, where audiences perform, sing, and shout along.
This Saturday, The Triplex is throwing our own interactive bash with our “Mamma Mia! Celebration,” a full-throttle embrace of ABBA, sequins, and summer love. It is a chance to sing, dance, shout, and bask in the joyful absurdity of it all—not just as a viewer, but as a part of the show.
Immersive screenings like this not only offer us a chance to engage with our favorite movies in new ways, they allow us to become creators. We make something new when we shout at the screen next to a hundred other fans and throw confetti in the air: a powerful movie moment that exists beyond the confines of the silver screen.
Now Playing
“How to Train Your Dragon”
A high-flying adaptation of the animated classic.
Set a course for the Isle of Berk next Friday when “How To Train Your Dragon” comes soaring into The Triplex! The live-action adaptation of the beloved animated franchise follows young viking Hiccup as he defies centuries of tradition by befriending Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Along with their friends, Hiccup and Toothless confront a world of fear and misunderstanding while taking on an ancient threat that endangers humans and dragons alike.
Starts Friday.
“Friendship”
A cringe comedy with Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson.
Should men have friends? If “Friendship” has anything to say about it, the answer is “no.”
Writer-director Andrew DeYoung creates the perfect star vehicle for Tim Robinson’s jump to the big screen from cult TV classics “I Think You Should Leave” and “Detroiters” in this nightmarish look at suburban Craig’s (Robinson) fascination with his charismatic new neighbor (Paul Rudd) that threatens to derail both their lives.
Closing out our Winter + Spring Limited Engagement series, “Friendship” comes to The Triplex for one week starting this Friday!
“The Phoenician Scheme”
A madcap caper from Wes Anderson.
The story of a family, their family business, and the complications it causes, Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” comes to The Triple this week!
Packed to the brim with an ensemble led by Benecio Del Toro and featuring Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Willem Dafoe, Riz Ahmed, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, and many more, “The Phoenician Scheme” follows Del Toro’s businessman Zsa-zsa Korda as he appoints his only daughter, a nun (Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate, making them the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.
Starts Friday.
Coming Soon
“Elio”
From the studio that brought you “Wall-E” and “Lightyear” comes “Elio,” an out-of-this-world adventure for anyone who has ever searched for a place to fit in. When Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession, is beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, he is all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.
Starts June 20.
“F1”
Thirty years after an accident derailed his career, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is pulled back into the world of Formula 1 racing by a former teammate (Javier Bardem) looking to save his team. Director Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”) puts you in the driver seat for “F1,” a high-octane exploration of the world’s most elite racing circuit that follows Sonny as he tries his best to outrun his past and find the road to redemption.
Starts June 27.
“Jurassic World Rebirth”
Gear up for director Gareth Edwards’ (“Rogue One,” “Godzilla”) new take on the iconic franchise that sees a group of scientists and mercenaries (including Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey of “Wicked”) venture into the dinosaur hot zone to extract the genetic material needed to make a life-altering drug in “Jurassic World Rebirth.”
Starts July 2.
