Into The Rabbit Hole Of 'The Matrix' In Shared Reality
Exploring the possibilities of this new format with Cosm's Alexis Scalice...
Cosm Los Angeles opened in the summer of 2024. It is an immersive venue that has become a known entity for sports fans to watch games they can't attend in person, but have an experience akin to being there. There is also a location in Texas, with Atlanta and Detroit on the way... Its venues are stadium-like domed structures featuring massive LED screens that wrap around the interior, creating an environment they call "shared reality."
The venue has recently expanded into the world of movies. Their first venture into this realm is the classic 1999 film The Matrix. Highly regarded by critics and audiences, it has had a lasting influence, a massive fan base, and a cultural cache that few movies can match. The story of a dystopian future where humanity is stuck in a simulated reality. It's almost custom-made for this kind of experience, given the out-of-body quality of the subject matter, though it's also somewhat surreal. Alexis Scalice, Vice President of Business Development for Entertainment at Cosm, walked Immersive to the other side of this unique experience via Zoom.
[This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.]
I love reading little factoids, like, what does the name 'Cosm' mean? Cosmos and Colosseum.
It goes back to our roots in the planetarium business and how we've merged to bring consumer-facing properties and entertainment to a dome atmosphere. I think one of the greatest things about Cosm is that they understood how you could turn this revolutionary business into an entertainment-driven revolution. That's why it kind of goes back to our roots, where this all began.
I recently went to Cercle Odyssey, and I was walking around the space, immersed in the different angles and possibilities of this type of format. I feel like this is going to open up new synapses and new worlds to people. What was the hook for you?
What I love and what I see us doing all the time at Cosm as well is that we can commemorate 25-year-old films like The Matrix and reinvigorate them. The fans and the legacy franchise that it is, and then introduce it to new fans in a more modernized medium. At the same time, the original fans and new fans are having their minds blown together. I think that was the opportunity to take this type of technology and put it into a platform and a medium that is consumer-centric. It's hard to do on a film that's 25 years old. How do you get that emotion out of someone, like what's gonna happen next? That was a significant challenge for us.
It's coming at an interesting time for entertainment, as you know, we are at a crossroads on several fronts... It's a total time of transition because you either release a movie that's going to go directly to streaming, or it's a mega blockbuster on IMAX screens. I found it interesting that this venue is arriving now.
It started with sports, and bringing live sports on a big scale is all about fandom. One of my favorite things about Cosm is that there aren't a lot of places where you can have communal fandom, like a mini con. We knew we could take that same fandom and apply it to the cinematic world. We're seeing the same excitement among Matrix fans as they arrive and mingle with one another. We knew that the organic trend was gonna work, and capitalizing on that is something we can do at Cosm.
Interestingly, this is happening during a time of significant changes in the movie industry. It was serendipitous how this came about. People are more selective about what they want to see in theaters now. What we love here is getting people excited about going to a movie communally that's 25 years old - again, that's why we call it shared reality. It's a sharing moment.
Talk about selecting The Matrix as the first movie?
We had a whole plan. I think that with Cosm, a key aspect for us is our partnerships and working with best-in-class partners. So, having Warner Bros, one of the most incredible movie studios, and with their amazing films. We knew The Matrix had the balance between action and story to make that shared reality work. We also knew the film had a loyal fan base. Those are the key factors we consider. We also had our other partners, Little Cinema and MakeMake Entertainment, to make this a reality. It was a trilateral effect between having the venue, the technology, and the vision. Working hand in hand with the studio, we ensured the story was the hero, the film was the hero, and we were enhancing it.
Tell me about Little Cinema and MakeMake Entertainment...
Little Cinema has been our partner on the concept and creative vision. They have been in the business for a while, with a focus on premieres, events, and experiences. Then there's the extensions side of it, so we brought in MakeMake Entertainment to work with us on those extensions, which makes you feel like you're stepping inside The Matrix. That was our goal: if you can't be there, be here with us, and we wanna transport you to another world. Cosm is integrated among all of these elements.
Can you talk a little bit about the experience around the theater itself?
We created a matrix environment. When you come in, everything's green. There's a replica phone booth; we've got a sentinel, we tried to recreate as much as we could. It's one of those opportunities when we were talking to Warner Bros. about it, we said, we can turn this into The Matrix for a couple of hours for your fans, it's those small touches to get people going, it's like a great tailgate, getting them excited and ready for the moment.
If someone's going to this, they're signing up for something special. This has been extended past the initial run...
We added many more shows based on how they were selling out extremely quickly. I believe the organic reviews and the excitement contributed to this happening. We're honored and excited about that. The good news is that we've been able to put more shows on sale and have them stretch a little bit longer, like a limited engagement. So, a summer blockbuster for us.
What's next for Cosm in the world of movies...
We haven't announced yet. But there will definitely be more. We're focusing on different genres and demos. We have numerous ideas, and, of course, we will continue our relationship with Warner Bros. as well. What we love is that fans are enjoying this type of medium for movies. We are looking at movies that have a great fan base.
The Matrix is such a massive part of modern pop culture. How would you encapsulate this experience of this release?
The key is leveraging the fandom opportunity and how we can continue to elevate it. We knew fans would be drawn to shared reality in cinema, so we want to continue doing that with different films. At the same time, recreate some of these environments and those special moments that you can't do at home. We're always exploring ways to push the creative limits.
The Matrix in Shared Reality is playing exclusively at Cosm.