The UltraStar Multi-tainment Center at Ak-Chin Circle, AZ, will add an Augmented Reality (AR) app called XenoPlay.
Laurie McCartney, director of marketing operations at UltraStar, said: “We plan on using AR to add a new level of excitement and create cross-promotions and scavenger hunts between our entertainment destination. The beauty is with the Imagination Park platform, we can very easily manage the AR campaigns ourselves. We don’t need an outside company or expensive application developers; we just simply drag and drop images and icons that we have on hand to activate them in minutes. And, Imagination Park is always happy to help us implement AR activations perfectly with their free content concierge services.”
UltraStar’s Multi-tainment Center features more than just a cinema – it also includes state-of-the-art digital theaters, bowling, bars, restaurants, night clubs, sports lounges, shops, live entertainment, laser tag and arcade gaming. It is hoped that the new AR app will encourage customers to visit the other facilities.
The future of cinema
Imax closed its New York VR Centre in November – the third VR centre the company has closed this year. They have also announced they will make no further investments into VR next year.
The company closed a different New York VR centre in June. The Shanghai centre was closed in early July.
The reasons cited were financial. Although Imax’s seven VR centres have been popular with visitors, only one has met financial expectations. The company has not ruled out the possibility of scrapping all of the centres.
Meanwhile in Dubai, Reel Cinemas is redefining the cinema experience for luxury seeking movie-goers at The Dubai Mall.
The Platinum Suites will offer a VIP experience where visitors can be pampered with upscale amenities, personalized butler services, never seen before luxurious seats with a private lounge and five-star gourmet choices.
The Dine-In-Cinema offers Guy Fieri’s signature dishes along with International cuisines. Visitors can enjoy an extravagant meal with choices from six starters, six main courses and two desserts.
And in Texas, Cinergy Entertainment ramped up the cinema entertainment experience last year with an all-new escape room and an expanded game floor.
Image courtesy Imagination Park
