An ICE theater in Los Angeles, "the American dream" of the Rochelais group CGR Cinemas

"There will be a before and after Los Angeles for ICE (Immersive Cinema Experience)." This mantra is repeated tirelessly by Jocelyn Bouyssy, the director general of the group rochelais CGR Cinémas. Thanks to an agreement reached at the Cannes Film Festival with AEG, the American giant of events, he launched his first immersive 180-seat theater on American soil. From Tuesday, December 10, it will open with the screening of "Jumanji: The next level" in the huge entertainment complex L.A. Live, operated by Regal.

When we think of an immersive room, we imagine a seat that shakes, wind tunnel effects … "We're not at the Futuroscope"recalls Jocelyn Bouyssy, who describes the ICE room as a premium concept combining comfort and technical innovations, including an enveloping sound and a visual immersion with lumino-textile panels installed on the sides of the room. Solving peripheral vision, LightVibes technology was created by CGR teams in their office in La Rochelle, as well as seats with induction chargers.

"This is a concept devised by operators for operators." Thanks to this offer, the market share and box office of films screened in ICE has doubled, says Guillaume Thomine Desmazures, head of international development of ICE. An argument of weight to convince the studios. Operators and distributors can expect to sell tickets up to twice as expensive as traditional tickets.

Los Angeles, "kid's dream"

Everything started in 2016. "We decided to believe in cinema. After resisting Canal +, VHS, DVDs, and now platforms like Netflix and Amazon TV, the cinema needed technological innovations ", notes the charismatic boss of the CGR, number 2 in France. "It must remain a place of exit, of socialization." Tired of working with third parties, he decided to develop this immersive technology in his own name. Three years later, some thirty rooms were built in France.

Los Angeles, the Mecca of the seventh art, was then a "Kid's dream" for Jocelyn Bouyssy. Not to mention that this opening is decisive for the future of the concept internationally. "The challenge now is to find content"argues Jocelyn Bouyssy, who started his career as a projectionist. From the beginning, he managed to convince Luc Besson to broadcast "Valerian" in ICE, then it's Sony's turn. And finally, even Disney gave them a chance with "Evil: The Power of Evil". "I managed to convince the distributors when they came to France to see a movie in the ICE theater. That of Los Angeles will allow to bring Hollywood studios and directors like James Cameron ", assures the one who considers this room as "The flagship of the brand". A winning bet, since the inauguration, Tuesday, December 3, attracted industry pundits.

Meetings that should allow the French group to adapt in ICE films that lend themselves to technology, as is already the case for "Top Gun 2" Joseph Kosinski. The films are the subject of a specific post-production work, at the headquarters of the CGR Périgny, for about a month. For three years, more than 60 films have been adapted for these rooms.

The model is also experiencing an international breakthrough with a deployment in Saudi Arabia, via operator Vox, which has requested territorial exclusivity. The group rochelais ambition to sell a hundred rooms in the United States in the next year. The collaboration with AEG could happen again, the American group managing 5,500 cinemas across the Atlantic. And the ambition of Jocelyn Bouyssy, decreed ambassador of "made in France" in the seventh art, extends beyond: "I want to imagine a second version of ICE, offering new options to viewers."