AMC Theatres and Dolby Laboratories, Inc. are teaming up to deliver Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime, a premium cinema offering that promises to shake and rattle, if not roll, moviegoers during their favorite blockbusters.
The concept combines Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound with AMC Prime power reclining seats, which include transducers that vibrate with the action on screen.
The theater chain expects to have the new option ready to go in up to four locations by mid-May. By December 2018, that count should rise to 50, including San Francisco, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Miami, Boston, Denver and Seattle. By December 2024, that total will climb to 100.
Also as part of the agreement, AMC will renovate its existing Premium experiences — ETX and AMC Prime — into Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime. Renovated AMC auditoriums will feature newly installed Dolby Cinema, which incorporates Dolby Atmos audio technology and the Dolby Vision projection system.
“Dolby Cinema delivers a unique moviegoing experience with rich and vivid imagery and lifelike sound,” said Kevin Yeaman, president and chief executive officer, Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime will transport audiences across America into the ultimate moviegoing experience.”
“Guests should prepare to be blown away when we launch this amazing theatre experience,” said Gerry Lopez, chief executive officer and president, AMC.
He continued: “Moviegoers are already demonstrating they’ll drive past other theatres to see a movie in AMC Prime, so combined with Dolby’s pioneering technology, this next-generation Premium Large Format experience will leave them impressed, thrilled and excited by what they see, hear and feel — all from the comfort of their reclining chairs.”
Here is the description of the Dolby products, in the company’s own words:
The Dolby Vision laser projection system delivers high dynamic range with enhanced color technology that produces incredible blacks and a contrast ratio that far exceeds any other image technology on the market today. The result is a richer, more detailed viewing experience that delivers strikingly vivid and realistic images that make audiences feel like they are in the movie’s world.
Dolby Atmos, the award-winning Dolby sound technology, moves audio around the theatre, even overhead, with amazing richness and depth. The lifelike sounds of music, people, and things flow all around the theatre in sync with the action to create a more immersive and moving experience.