{"id":3265,"date":"2026-07-14T13:37:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265"},"modified":"2026-07-14T13:37:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:37:23","slug":"is-screenx-worth-the-hype-i-put-charlottes-newest-movie-experience-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265","title":{"rendered":"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test"},"content":{"rendered":"

Movie theaters have spent much of the past decade trying to answer the same question: What can they offer that your living room can\u2019t?<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Family pulls $1M scholarship fund from NC university, citing anti-DEI policy<\/a><\/p>\n

Recliners solved a comfort problem. IMAX<\/a> made the picture bigger. Dolby Cinema<\/a> made it look and sound better. D-BOX<\/a> added seat movement. 4DX<\/a> goes a step further, shaking your chair, blasting you with wind and occasionally making you wonder whether you\u2019ve wandered into an amusement park ride.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s SCREENX<\/a>, which recently arrived at AMC Concord Mills<\/a> and takes perhaps the strangest approach yet.<\/p>\n

Instead of making the picture bigger, it tries to make your world<\/i> bigger.<\/p>\n

The format, which debuted in South Korea in 2012, projects selected scenes onto the theater\u2019s side walls, creating a 270-degree panoramic viewing experience. You won\u2019t find it attached to every release; it\u2019s reserved for movies with worlds big enough to spill beyond the edges of the screen \u2014 animated adventures, action blockbusters and fantasy epics.<\/p>\n

AMC Concord Mills is the first theater in the Charlotte area to offer it.<\/p>\n

I have to admit: I was skeptical.<\/p>\n

Not because I doubted the technology. But because we\u2019ve reached the point where every new premium movie format promises to revolutionize the theatrical experience. At some point, \u201cimmersive\u201d starts sounding less like a description and more like a marketing department\u2019s favorite adjective.<\/p>\n

So I recently went to see Pixar\u2019s \u201cToy Story 5\u201d \u2014 notably the first Pixar film designed specifically for SCREENX \u2014 wondering whether I\u2019d be watching the future of movie theaters… or simply the latest gimmick.<\/p>\n

Before the movie even started, the auditorium hinted that this wouldn\u2019t be a typical experience. The side walls weren\u2019t walls at all. They\u2019d been transformed into projection screens, wrapping from floor to ceiling around everything from ceiling-mounted projectors to exit signs and even the fire alarm pull stations.<\/p>\n

Then the previews started.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

Every trailer played normally, as if the side walls didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

But from the moment the movie began \u2014 with Buzz Lightyear waking up on the sandy shores of a deserted tropical island surrounded by dozens of identical, unopened Buzz dolls in shipping containers \u2014 the side walls sprang to life.<\/p>\n

And immediately, I found myself as interested in figuring out the illusion as I was in watching the movie.<\/p>\n

It reminded me of videos I\u2019ve watched from inside Las Vegas\u2019 Sphere (which, sadly, I still haven\u2019t experienced in person). Not because SCREENX comes anywhere close to that level of sensory overload, but because both seem to inspire the same instinct: You spend part of your brain trying to locate the edges of the illusion.<\/p>\n

How, exactly, are they doing this?<\/i><\/p>\n

Then something unexpected happened, gradually, as the first act of the film progressed: I stopped studying the technology.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t fully realize it until after, but the side walls weren\u2019t begging me to look at them. They were quietly asking me to stop thinking about the edges of the front screen. They were functioning less as additional screens than as peripheral scenery<\/i>, expanding the world around the main image rather than competing with it.<\/p>\n

In other words: SCREENX isn\u2019t trying to get you to watch three screens. It\u2019s trying to engage your peripheral vision.<\/p>\n

One sequence beneath a bed stretched the room seamlessly across the full panorama, making an ordinary bedroom suddenly feel enormous. Later, a wide-open pasture featuring Jessie, Bullseye and a horse towering over them became a visual highlight, with tall grasses swaying across the side walls and making the landscape seem to continue well beyond the theater itself.<\/p>\n

And a stylized, watercolor-like fantasy sequence became so dazzling that, for a moment, it almost felt as though someone had turned the house lights back on.<\/p>\n

Read more James Comey signals vindictive-prosecution challenge in NC seashells case<\/a><\/p>\n

But SCREENX isn\u2019t perfect.<\/p>\n

The side projections rarely matched the sharpness of the main screen, sometimes even appearing slightly dimmer, and every so often, the illusion cracked. In one scene, a deer poked its head in from the top right on the main screen, but the adjacent side projection didn\u2019t pick up the rest of its body where its head cut off, reminding me that I was looking at three canvases as opposed to one seamless and enormous one.<\/p>\n

Oddly, my biggest criticism wasn\u2019t about image quality. It was about absence: The panoramic effect isn\u2019t used throughout the movie.<\/p>\n

To be fair, that\u2019s intentional; SCREENX designers have said limiting the expanded image helps avoid overwhelming audiences.<\/p>\n

But as a viewer, I experienced something different.<\/p>\n

As the movie wore on, I became accustomed to the expanded world. So when the side walls suddenly went dark, I noticed their disappearance more than I noticed their arrival.<\/p>\n

I missed<\/i> the side walls when they weren\u2019t engaged.<\/p>\n

Despite those nitpicks, I genuinely enjoyed the effect. When it works, it works really, really well. I\u2019ll even give the marketing department this one: It really is<\/i> immersive. When it\u2019s firing on all cylinders, you stop noticing the technology altogether and simply accept the world as being larger than the front screen.<\/p>\n

As for the question of whether the experience is \u201cworth it\u201d… that depends.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the same value proposition moviegoers have to consider when it comes to IMAX or Dolby Cinema. The premium ticket costs about $5 per ticket more than a standard showing, which doesn\u2019t sound like much until you\u2019re buying four tickets, four drinks and four tubs of popcorn.<\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t claim, by the way, that the enhancement is inherently \u201cbetter\u201d or \u201cworse\u201d than IMAX or Dolby Cinema. They accomplish different things. IMAX emphasizes scale. Dolby focuses on picture and sound.<\/p>\n

SCREENX, meanwhile, is chasing immersion in a different way, trying to convince your brain that the world extends beyond the frame. Sometimes it succeeds brilliantly. Sometimes the illusion breaks.<\/p>\n

But after spending 102 minutes with it, I came away convinced of one thing: This isn\u2019t just another marketing gimmick. It\u2019s a genuinely different way to experience certain movies.<\/p>\n

Now, would I choose to pay the premium it asks for at every single opportunity? Probably not.<\/p>\n

Would I gladly spend five more dollars again for a movie designed with the format in mind, something that I thought was going to be visually sumptuous to begin with?<\/p>\n

Absolutely.<\/p>\n

Look, SCREENX won\u2019t be for everyone, and it won\u2019t be worth the premium for every film.<\/p>\n

But if its goal is to remind audiences that seeing a movie in a theater can still feel fundamentally different from watching one at home, it\u2019s succeeding.<\/p>\n

I certainly didn\u2019t expect to spend the drive home wishing the side screens had been utilized more<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Read more Sculpting Lu-u-u-ke: Behind the scenes as Kuechly strikes pose for hall of fame<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Review: Charlotte\u2019s first new SCREENX theater has arrived at AMC Concord Mills. After seeing Toy Story 5, here\u2019s my verdict on whether it\u2019s worth paying extra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nIs SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Review: Charlotte\u2019s first new SCREENX theater has arrived at AMC Concord Mills. After seeing Toy Story 5, here\u2019s my verdict on whether it\u2019s worth paying extra.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-14T13:37:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"headline\":\"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-14T13:37:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265\"},\"wordCount\":1173,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e28d325c0a0f6e4a0ed4c1333f593b7c.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265\",\"name\":\"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e28d325c0a0f6e4a0ed4c1333f593b7c.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-14T13:37:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e28d325c0a0f6e4a0ed4c1333f593b7c.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/e28d325c0a0f6e4a0ed4c1333f593b7c.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3265#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","og_description":"Review: Charlotte\u2019s first new SCREENX theater has arrived at AMC Concord Mills. After seeing Toy Story 5, here\u2019s my verdict on whether it\u2019s worth paying extra.","og_url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265","og_site_name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","article_published_time":"2026-07-14T13:37:23+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"headline":"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test","datePublished":"2026-07-14T13:37:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265"},"wordCount":1173,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e28d325c0a0f6e4a0ed4c1333f593b7c.png","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265","name":"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e28d325c0a0f6e4a0ed4c1333f593b7c.png","datePublished":"2026-07-14T13:37:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e28d325c0a0f6e4a0ed4c1333f593b7c.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e28d325c0a0f6e4a0ed4c1333f593b7c.png","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3265#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is SCREENX worth the hype? I put Charlotte\u2019s newest movie experience to the test"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/","name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com"],"url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}