270-Degree Movie Screen: Coming Soon to a Theater Near You?

Three dimensions? Been there, done that. How about three walls?

Digital downloads and streaming services, along with large flat-screen televisions and surround-sound stereo systems, are making a strong argument for just staying in for the night. Why pay a bunch of money to sit in a theater with a bunch of rude, texting-obsessed strangers (we're looking at you, Madonna) when you can almost completely recreate the current cinema experience in the privacy of your own home, and with literally thousands of titles available with the click of a button?

It's no secret that the cinema experience must become more unique, exclusive, and immersive — or else it runs the risk of fading away completely. There has to be a reason to go to the movies. Audiences have to get something out of going to a theater, something that they'll miss if they just "wait for the Blu-ray." Imax has become more popular in an attempt to get more butts in theater seats (and at a higher ticket price), as well as 3-D (ditto). And now, a new gimmick has emerged that attempts to make watching a movie even more visually engrossing than just having a loose bolt float toward your face (hat-tip to "Gravity").

A South Korean cinema chain has developed movie viewing that literally surrounds you with the film by incorporating not one but three separate "screens." ScreenX, developed by CJ CGV Co. Ltd., makes use of side walls as additional projection points to create a 270-degree view of the film. Think the "King Kong 3-D" ride at Universal Studios but without anything going on behind you (and sans the rocking tour bus, too, of course).

Watch ScreenX in action below....