D-BOX Technologies Inc., informally known as D-BOX, is a publicly traded haptic motion technology company based in

Longueuil Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly ac ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. The company designs and manufactures motion and haptic systems for entertainment, simulation and training industries. As of July 2019, D-BOX seats were located at over 700 movie screens in 40 countries. The company was founded in 1998. Sebastien Mailhot is the company's President and CEO.

History

D-BOX was originally founded in 1998 as a manufacturer of powerful subwoofers. Michel Jacques was the company's president and CEO. The company noticed customers were buying multiple subwoofers to place around seats to mimic a motion effect. The company decided to shift its focus to motion technology, and in 2001 released its first generation of D-BOX motion seating systems. The company initially focused on the theatrical-exhibition market rather than home consumers, due to the high cost of a single chair. In 2009, Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, asked D-BOX to use its motion technology for the 2009 film ''

Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...

''. The project was successful, and was considered a company milestone. Also in 2009, Canadian exhibition chain

Cineplex A cineplex is a multiplex, a movie theatre with several screens, coming from the words cinema and complex. Cineplex most commonly refers to: * Cineplex Entertainment, a Canadian entertainment company based in Toronto, Ontario. Cineplex may also ...

opened its first D-BOX location. The company also began working with movie theater chain Cinemark International, expanding globally to install seats throughout Latin America. In October 2018, the company entered the sports simulation market, and displayed a

Formula 1 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

simulator at a sports conference in London. In November, Variety announced that D-BOX was working to develop an amusement park ride based on

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', '' Far Cry'', ...

's popular Rabbids title. By July 2019, D-BOX seats were located at over 700 screens in 40 countries. In August, the company announced that Australian and New Zealand-based company

Hoyts The Hoyts Group of companies in Australia and New Zealand includes Hoyts Cinemas and Val Morgan. Hoyts operates more than 450 cinema screens and 55,000 seats, making it Australia's second largest movie exhibitor after Event Hospita ...

was installing D-BOX seats in its theaters. In October, the company announced it was partnering with India-based film chain

PVR Cinemas PVR Ltd (formerly Priya Village Roadshow Ltd), doing business as PVR Cinemas, is an Indian multiplex chain based in Gurgaon. PVR pioneered the multiplex revolution in India by establishing the first multiplex cinema in 1997 at Saket, New Delh ...

to install its seats in Indian cinemas, and that the 2019 Indian action film

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

would incorporate the motion technology coding. On April 1, 2020, the company announced that Sébastien Mailhot was taking on the role of President and CEO. In September, British simulation company Cranfield Simulations announced a $170,000 home

simulator using D-BOX's suspension platform. In November, the company announced a lower cost chair designed for the home entertainment market. In December, the company announced it was working with gaming hardware manufacturer

Cooler Master Cooler Master Technology Inc. is a computer hardware manufacturer based in Taiwan. Founded in 1992, the company produces computer cases, power supplies, air and liquid CPU coolers, laptop cooling pads, and computer peripherals. Alongside its ...

to produce a gaming chair featuring full-body haptic technology.

Products and services

D-BOX produces haptic (motion) effects programmed for visual and musical content, which are sent to a motion system integrated either within a platform, a seat, or various types of equipment. Its technology is used for various industries including movie theaters and other commercial entertainment; commercial training and simulation; and home entertainment, including home theaters, gaming and sim racing. Maya NorthLasVegas Opening

Movie theatres

D-BOX motion systems are present in more than 700 screens throughout 40 countries. The first feature film to have been encoded with D-BOX was ''

'' released on April 3, 2009 at the TCL Chinese Theatre, on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. As of January 2021, over 2,000 titles are coded in D-BOX.

Commercial entertainment

D-BOX is involved in various commercial entertainment industry media, including

Virtual Reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), edu ...

Theme Parks An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, and Simulation and Training. DBOX Trial Machine

Commercial simulation and training

D-BOX technology is used for simulation and training by companies including heavy equipment companies

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sy ...

and

John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...

, and commercial simulation company CM Labs Simulations.

Home entertainment

D-BOX Technologies first introduced its motion generating systems in 2001 to the home theater,

Sim racing Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tir ...

Esports Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional sports, professional players, individually or as ...

and PC gaming markets. The D-BOX system can be integrated within many different seats. For existing seating, motion can be added with the help of a D-BOX Motion Platform.

Exhibitors

Exhibitors installing D-BOX equipment in their theaters include: * AMC *

Cinemark Theatres Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (stylized as CineMark from 1998 to 2022 and CINEMARK since 2022) is an American movie theater chain that started operations in 1984 and since then it has operated theaters with hundreds of locations throughout the Ameri ...

Cineplex Entertainment Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian movie theatre and family entertainment centre chain headquartered in Toronto. The company was formed in 2003 via the acquisition of Loews Cineplex's Canadian operations (which included t ...

* Maya Cinemas * Ster-Kinekor
D'Place Entertainment

Studios

D-BOX works with movie studios including: *

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

* Walt Disney Studios *

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

Yash Raj Films Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. It mainly produces and distributes Hindi and Punjabi films. The company has grown to be one of the largest film studios ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Companies based in Longueuil Companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange Simulator rides 1998 establishments in Quebec