What Is 4DX? Effects, Price, 4DX vs IMAX, and Is It Worth It

4DX seats in a cinema in Tokyo, May 2014. Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What happens in a 4DX showing

The seats sit in blocks and move as one platform [17]. CJ 4DPLEX, the South Korean company that makes 4DX [11], lists the motions as roll, sway and twist, pitch and heave [1]. The seat also shakes, and it has ticklers in the back and the seat [1]. One viewer on Mumsnet liked 4DX "apart from the weird back punches" [14].

Around you, the room adds effects [1]:

• rain, rainstorm, snow and bubbles
• wind, fog and lightning (strobe flashes)
• water and air jets at your face, air from the side, warm air
• scents

Not every film uses every effect [2]. Cineworld plays an on-screen ident before every 4DX showing [3]. In August 2026, one first-timer at Cineworld Cheltenham found that this promo was "tossing us around quite violently" [17]. The film itself was "far more nuanced" [17].

One viewer says the water can be switched off. A viewer on Mumsnet wrote in August 2024: "There is water and you can switch it off" [14]. The Cineworld help pages we read do not mention a switch. The same viewer had never had a scent "other than the smell of dry ice" [14]. We have not tried 4DX ourselves.

Is 4DX worth it?

Viewers say yes for a loud action film, and no for a long film you want to follow closely. 4DX costs more than a standard ticket [4].

What it costs

Cineworld says 4DX tickets have "a slightly higher ticket price than a standard screening" [4]. It refers you to your local cinema's page for the price [4]. Check the price when you book.

• With Cineworld Unlimited: the 4DX upgrade is £5 [2]. The IMAX upgrade is also £5 [6].
• Without Unlimited: a ticket guide of March 2026 puts the extra for 4DX at £6 to £8 [9]. In 2018, Cineworld Middlesbrough charged £6.20 more for an adult and £5.70 more for a child [10].

Last checked November 3, 2026: Cineworld help pages; not Cineworld's booking pages.

What people who went say

These are reports from viewers, not our own tests.

• For: "the moving seat and effects which made the film much more engaging and fun", after Twisters (Mumsnet, August 2024) [14]. A PistonHeads member called Top Gun: Maverick in 4DX "Very gimmicky but this was the perfect film to showcase this kind of experience" (May 2022) [16].
• Against: "sometimes if there's lots of shooting I feel like I've come out with a bruised back" (Mumsnet, August 2024) [14]. A reviewer in Middlesbrough wrote that "the seats moved so much that I found it hard to focus" (May 2018) [10]. A Dublin reviewer said a 2 hour 40 minute film in 4DX "would have been quite intolerable" (April 2018) [18].
• Food and drink: hot drinks are not allowed [3]. Keep cold drinks sealed, and drink "only during non-intensive motion scenes" [3].

The pattern across these reports: pick a film with chases, flying or storms, and expect the novelty to fade in a slow film.

4DX vs IMAX

They improve different things. 4DX moves you. IMAX makes the picture larger and sharper.

Book IMAX if you want to see the film at its biggest. Book 4DX if you have seen it already, or want a ride. A PistonHeads member who had seen Top Gun: Maverick twice in IMAX was "wondering if I should give it a go on 4DX" [16]. 4DX also has rules on who may sit in the seats. See who should not book 4DX.

How IMAX compares with ordinary 3D and with the other premium screens: IMAX vs 3D, RealD 3D vs IMAX 3D and Odeon iSense.

Who should not book 4DX

Cineworld's guidelines say 4DX is not suitable for [3]:

• people with high blood pressure, heart conditions, back or neck conditions, epilepsy or another serious medical condition
• elderly, disabled or blind people
• pregnant women
• people prone to motion sickness
• children under 4. Children aged 4 to 7 must have an adult with them
• people under 102 cm (3 ft 4 in) tall, or over 120 kg (265 lb)

Children may not sit on laps, and booster seats are not allowed [3]. Cineworld also warns that the seats "may cause loss of balance, headache or dizziness" [3]. If you have one of these conditions, Cineworld says to ask your doctor first [3].

4DX 3D: what it is and do you need glasses

4DX 3D is a 4DX showing of the 3D version of a film. Cineworld shows 4DX in 2D and 3D [2]. For a 3D showing, you wear 3D glasses. For RealD 3D showings, Cineworld charges £1.25 a pair for glasses [7]. The help pages we read do not say if 4DX 3D uses the same glasses. A 4DX 2D showing needs no glasses.

Is 4DX 3D better than plain 3D? One Mumsnet member who wears glasses saw a 4DX 3D film at Cineworld in January 2022. They "always hated 3d before but this was actually really surprisingly good" [15]. That is one report. If you wear glasses, note that the face jets spray water [1]. One viewer says you can switch the water off [14].

On 3 November 2026, no Cineworld cinema listed a 4DX 3D showing [8].

• Which 3D showing to book, and what RealD means: RealD 3D vs IMAX 3D.
• 3D films on your own screen, with no moving seat: how to watch 3D movies at home.

Where to find 4DX in the UK

Only Cineworld has 4DX in the UK and Ireland [2]. The first UK 4DX screen opened at Cineworld Milton Keynes in 2015 [13]. These 34 Cineworld cinemas listed 4DX showings on Flicks on 3 November 2026 [8]:

Last checked November 3, 2026: Flicks listings, 90 Cineworld cinema pages.

This list comes from Flicks, not from Cineworld. A cinema with a 4DX screen that showed no 4DX film that day is not on it. Two Cineworld pages on Flicks did not load.

Frequently asked questions

Does Odeon or Vue have 4DX?

Cineworld's help centre says no: 4DX is "Exclusive to Cineworld in the UK and Ireland" [2]. In March 2025, AMC and CJ 4DPLEX announced 40 new 4DX auditoriums at AMC and Odeon locations in the US and Europe [12]. They did not name UK sites [12].

What is the difference between 4DX and 4D?

4DX is one 4D system, by one maker. Wikipedia calls it "a 4D film presentation system developed by CJ 4DPlex" [11]. It first ran in Seoul in 2009 [11].

Can I bring valuables or wear nice clothes?

Cineworld says to leave valuables at home, and to protect delicate clothes from the effects [3].