United Cinemas Kishiwada Renamed Lawson-United Cinemas Kishiwada, Adds 4DX With a Kishiwada Danjiri Festival Short Film

Lawson-United Cinemas Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo; President: Toshihide Shimizu), an affiliate of Lawson Entertainment, Inc., is renaming its theater in Kishiwada, Osaka — currently United Cinemas Kishiwada — to Lawson-United Cinemas Kishiwada on Friday, August 7, 2026. The rebrand arrives together with the introduction of 4DX, a motion-based 4D attraction theater format. With this addition, Lawson-United Cinemas' network of 4DX theaters grows to 23 locations nationwide, the most of any chain in Japan (as of July 1, 2026, according to the company's own research).

To mark the occasion, the theater is teaming up with one of Kishiwada's best-known symbols, the Kishiwada Danjiri Festival, aiming to spotlight local culture and offer a new kind of experience. Before feature presentations begin in the new 4DX theater, moviegoers will see "Danjiri 4DX," a specially produced short film that layers 4D motion effects onto footage of the festival.

The Kishiwada Danjiri Festival, held in Kishiwada, Osaka, has a history of more than 300 years. Its best-known moment is yarimawashi, in which teams pull roughly four-ton danjiri floats at high speed and swing them through sharp right-angle turns. In "Danjiri 4DX," footage of the festival, including the yarimawashi, is paired with moving seats, vibration, water spray, wind, and other 4D effects, recreating the sensation of standing in the middle of the festival. The short also includes footage shot from the viewpoint of the daikugata, the performer who rides atop the moving float, offering a perspective rarely seen by spectators.

Lawson-United Cinemas describes itself as a community-oriented cinema chain built around creating new value and entertainment through change, and plans to keep offering audiences fresh ways to enjoy movies going forward.

Theater Renamed Lawson-United Cinemas Kishiwada

Theater name: Lawson-United Cinemas Kishiwada (formerly United Cinemas Kishiwada)
Address: 3-1 Minatomidori-machi, Kishiwada, Osaka, inside Kishiwada Kankan Bayside Mall WEST
Name change date: Friday, August 7, 2026

Lawson-United Cinemas Kishiwada official website

4DX Comes to Kishiwada

4DX motion-seat theater

4DX is a theatrical format built around motion seats that move forward, backward, up, and down in sync with on-screen action, with a "punch" function built into the seatback that adds physical impact during key scenes. Water, wind, flashing lights, scent, and smoke effects round out the experience, shifting movies from something watched to something felt.

Introduction date: Friday, August 7, 2026

More about 4DX

Danjiri 4DX: A First for Japanese Movie Theaters

Screening period: from Friday, August 7, 2026, with the end date to be announced
"Danjiri 4DX" screens only in the 4DX theater at Lawson-United Cinemas Kishiwada, before the start of the main feature.
A 15-second teaser will also play at the other 22 Lawson-United Cinemas group 4DX theaters nationwide from mid-July through Thursday, August 6.

The teaser can be viewed here:

4DX Launch Celebration

Chikiri-kun sitting in a 4DX seat, illustrated with wind and motion effects

Chikiri-kun x 4DX Illustration

Chikiri-kun, the image character of Kishiwada City named after Kishiwada Castle's alternate name, "Chikiri Castle," appears in a new collaboration illustration, shown sitting in a 4DX seat experiencing the format's vibration and wind effects.

Limited-edition bamboo fan featuring the Chikiri-kun illustration

4DX Viewer Gift

To celebrate the introduction of 4DX, guests who watch a 4DX screening will receive a specially made bamboo fan featuring the Chikiri-kun illustration, available only at the theater. The gift is limited to guests watching 4DX screenings at Lawson-United Cinemas Kishiwada, one per person, while supplies last.

Chikiri-kun Special-Design Membership Card

A limited-edition "CLUB-SPICE" membership card, designed to mark the introduction of 4DX in Kishiwada, goes on sale at the Lawson-United Cinemas Kishiwada ticket counter starting when the theater opens on Friday, August 7. Only 2,000 cards will be issued, so early sign-up is recommended.

On sale from: theater opening on Friday, August 7, 2026
Available at: the theater's ticket counter
Enrollment fee: ¥600 (tax included)
Existing CLUB-SPICE members can switch to the new card design for ¥300 (tax included).