Fragrant films are a heaven-scent opportunity for Japanese cinemas Mon Apr 17, 6:06 AM ET



TOKYO (AFP) - Movie fans bored with hi-tech sound effects and graphics will soon be able to experience cinematic smells after a Japanese film distributor announced it is showing the world's first fragrant films.

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Shochiku Co. said it would release "The New World," a historical drama starring Colin Farrell about the colonisation of New England, at two cinemas on Saturday with the newly developed computerised fragrance system.

The system has been developed by NTT Communications, part of telecom giant NTT. It will offer six kinds of aroma depending upon the scenes being shown.

Last year several cinemas in Japan produced the smell of chocolate for Tim Burton's version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

Naoko Yoshida, a spokeswoman for Shochiku, said: "This is the world's first trial to offer various kinds of scene-matching fragrances, which will make viewers feel as if they are really in a forest, for example, with the smell of the woods."

The six smells, which include forests and citrus, are released under cinemagoers' seats.

Tokyo's Salonpas Louvre Marunouchi, one of the two cinemas fitted with the system, will offer 33 "aroma premier seats" at 1,800 yen (15 dollars) each, the same price as other seats.

"Tickets for seats on the first day are selling well," said Kenjiro Beppu, a spokesman for the 470-seat cinema.

"We hope our viewers will enjoy not only the great scenes, but hear and smell the movie."

Shochiku will decide whether to continue the fragrance service after judging customer reactions.

A second cinema in Osaka will also offer the service.

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