[Culture Interview] The Completion of an "Omniscient Audience Perspective"

Soo Hong Moon, Producer at CJ 4D Plex
Recreating Filming Spaces Exactly on Screen
Korean Special Theater Technology Advances into Hollywood
"Our Aim Is to Bring ScreenX to Every Theatrical Release, Regardless of Genre"

Soohong Moon, PD of CJ 4D Plex / CJ CGV.

The production methodology for "ScreenX," which utilizes even the side walls as screens, has undergone a transformation. The process has shifted its focus from a post-production technique—where the completed film was adapted—to a pre-production planning technology integrated from the outset. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" marks this turning point. Last year, producers from CJ 4D Plex participated on set in England and filmed separate sequences specifically for ScreenX, including Spider-Man's web-swinging between buildings and major downtown action scenes. This is the first time that Korean special theater technology has entered the Hollywood production process as a partner from the early stages.

The core of this pre-planned filming lies in the wealth of information collected. In an interview with The Asia Business Daily on August 10, Producer Soo Hong Moon explained, "We were able to capture source footage in a much wider field of view than before, allowing us to replicate the actual filming space as it was." Previously, the process relied on estimating and reconstructing spaces; now, it has shifted to directly reproducing captured data.

Personnel deployment was actually minimized. Since the primary task was to avoid interfering with the main production shoot, only the minimum number of staff were dispatched to the set. Normally, the ScreenX team would have to explain the format to the main crew and gain their understanding, but this was hardly necessary. In fact, local staff proactively showed interest and provided assistance.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day ScreenX Poster / CJ CGV.

Abundant information does not always perfectly align with the intent of the director. A prominent example is the scene in the latter part where Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) is imprisoned. The ScreenX team initially designed the scene so that the space seemed to expand infinitely to both sides, but the main production team wanted a tighter and more claustrophobic atmosphere. Producer Moon explained, "ScreenX excels at creating a sense of expansive space but, conversely, can also maximize the feeling of isolation by making the audience feel confined in a three-sided space." He added, "We changed direction by adding wall structures to the extended areas and adjusting the brightness and spatial sense to enhance that feeling of confinement."

This principle was applied to other scenes as well. During the sequence when Peter Parker (Tom Holland) experiences heightened nerves, visual noise and rapid scene transitions were actively added to the left and right screens, amplifying the sense of sensory chaos. Producer Moon stated, "We tried more daring directing techniques than usual, while maintaining the fundamental principle that the side screens must not distract from or diminish immersion in the main picture."

In contrast, a calmer mood was emphasized in the scene where Parker brings MJ (Zendaya Coleman) home via web-swinging. The city background was adjusted in scale and perspective to appear further away from the characters, creating a sense that the two of them occupy a private space in the middle of a vast city.

Still cut from the movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

The climactic scene involving Grey's superpowers represents the most refined culmination of this approach. The effects of the superpower and the actions of surrounding characters needed to be extended smoothly onto the side screens—a task that was difficult to achieve using traditional methods. Producer Moon stated, "Since we were able to use the same effect sources employed by the main production team for the ScreenX screens, the end result achieved new heights of immersion."

Such close collaboration did not happen overnight. When Producer Moon joined CJ 4D Plex in 2021, he was still in the position of having to persuade Hollywood studios to entrust projects to his team. Due to insufficient brand recognition and doubts about production quality, it was difficult to collaborate even up to the stage of filming. However, after building trust through several projects—including "Spider-Man: No Way Home"—they succeeded in expanding their scope of cooperation with Marvel Studios. Producer Moon said, "This Spider-Man project itself is one of the biggest turning points for ScreenX."

The response from Marvel Studios supports this perspective. Producer Moon recalled, "What stood out most to me was Marvel's willingness to work together to fully convey the value of 'Shot for SCREENX' to the audience." He continued, "They also expressed their hope that all future ScreenX titles would consider participation from the pre-production stage onward."

ScreenX Promotion Poster/CJ CGV.

Box office results have reinforced this trend. Before its release, the film achieved the highest-ever advance bookings for ScreenX screenings, and currently, it continues to sell out. As of August 10, the cumulative audience—including regular screenings—stood at 6,090,950, placing it second at the box office in 2026.

This momentum is carrying over into subsequent titles. Three Hollywood productions, each designed with ScreenX implementation in mind from the filming stage, have either already finished filming or are in post-production.

This expansion is also linked to the growing network of ScreenX theaters. Worldwide, the number of ScreenX auditoriums increased from 320 in 2020 to 480 in 51 countries this year. Producer Moon remarked, "Our goal is to supply every movie released in theaters—regardless of genre—in the ScreenX format. We are committed to delivering the best possible content that can only be experienced in the cinema."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.