GoKawiilI've watched the Harry Potter movies countless times, but never like this.
An 87-foot LED dome stretches overhead. At its center, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone plays, while surrounding 3D imagery expands the film's scenes to fill the display. It feels less like watching a movie and more like being inside the magical world.
During the opening scene on Privet Drive, more beige homes and glowing streetlamps extend in each direction, instantly pulling me into the film. As Harry enters Diagon Alley, the towering shops rise around me, and I share in his sense of wonder. In the Hogwarts Great Hall, hundreds of flickering candles seem to float overhead, making it feel like I'm walking with the first-year students toward the Sorting Hat.
The experience is captivating, enveloping and transportive. It's part of a viewing format called Shared Reality at Cosm Los Angeles, an entertainment venue that also has locations in Dallas and Atlanta. The massive dome display combines traditional movie-watching with computer-generated visuals, surrounding audiences with the scenes unfolding on screen -- no headset needed. Other films that have received the Shared Reality treatment so far include The Matrix and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
I attended a press preview for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Shared Reality last week, ahead of its public opening on May 7.
Virtual and mixed reality headsets also let viewers feel pulled into their favorite films and TV shows. But headsets can be disorienting, isolating and uncomfortable after long periods of time. There's no opportunity for communal viewing, which is my favorite part of going to a movie theater. I like laughing with other audience members and reacting to shocking or emotional moments together.
Shared Reality strikes a balance between the two experiences. I can feel immersed in the wizarding world without a headset that shuts out my surroundings. I can react with delight alongside other audience members as we seemingly soar over the Quidditch pitch or walk along Platform 9 ¾. We can gawk in unison at the intense wizard's chess scene -- which is even more visually striking in Shared Reality as giant smashing chess pieces loom overhead.
"That communal aspect, that shared element, is really critical to what distinguishes Cosm in this market," Devin Poolman, Cosm's chief product and technology officer, told me. "We want to make you feel like you're there and really transport you as part of the experience."
Looking around, you'd think you were at King's Cross Station, too. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET
Adapting Harry Potter for Cosm's giant dome screen
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