A new startup, MUS immersive (short for Modern Uprising Studio), has launched as an independent company with a goal to boost “a new category of entertainment: immersive event cinema” using spatial computing technologies.
This type of technology merges physical and digital worlds, allowing users to interact with 3D digital content anchored in their real-world environments.
Former Miramax Films senior vp, international marketing & sales Joel Roodman is the co-founder and CEO of MUS immersive. He highlighted that the company’s goal was “to realize the full potential of the theatrical immersive window” and “to create a new cinematic language and format, one that fully surrounds audiences and elevates the ways stories are shared and experienced.” During his time at Miramax, he helped bring films like Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting and Shakespeare in Love to global audiences, according to the company.
MUS immersive is looking to bring spatial computing tech into “an immersive production, distribution, and exhibition platform, to redefine the future of cinematic experiences,” the companies said. “At the core of this launch is the Celeste Immersive Engine, a proprietary spatial computing platform developed internally by [venture platform] Toro Science [that focuses on developing “breakthrough” technologies and then creating independent companies around them] and validated in demanding real-world environments, including defense training, simulations and operational settings.” MUS immersive is therefore touting its technology as “military-grade.”
Toro Science was founded by CEO Joe Nolan, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, who built and sold several technology companies, including Perspective Studios, a CG animation studio specializing in performance capture.
The Celeste Immersive Engine transforms traditional video into what the firm describes as “full field-of-view, headset-free, immersive environments.” MUS immersive plans to deploy this technology through a growing network of immersive cinematic venues and an “exclusive library of immersive media rights across film, sports entertainment, sponsor activations, and hybrid premium content,” among other strategies. “MUS immersive is slated to establish the company’s flagship Celeste Immersive Screening Lounge in New York in 2026, with the expanded network of venues anticipated in 2027. Together, these efforts signal the emergence of a new media category at the intersection of cinema, technology, and live experience.”
The firm sees itself as a partner for intellectual property owners “to extend the lifecycle, audience reach, and monetization” of their content through immersive editions and adaptations.
“MUS immersive exemplifies our approach to venture creation,” said Nolan, founder and CEO of Toro Science. “MUS is now ready to lead the commercialization of spatial computing in entertainment.”
Roodman tells The Hollywood Reporter: “MUS immersive was cultivated within the Toro Science venture ecosystem to unlock the full potential of the theatrical immersive window. It came out of the idea that today’s technology has opened the door for a new kind of creative outlet, one that goes beyond traditional formats and expectations. Looking ahead, the most successful filmmakers will not just be directors. They will be world builders, creating expansive story universes, engaged communities, and immersive experiences that audiences can return to again and again.”
Adds the MUS boss: “For creatives, that means a future that feels more open and more expansive, with new opportunities to tell stories in ways that connect with people. The next era of Hollywood will not be defined by who produces the most content, but by who creates the most compelling and lasting worlds, and we are proud to be part of that story.”
MUS has recently been in the headlines when word leaked online that the winner of an AI short film contest that it co-organized was going to start screening before feature presentations in AMC Theatres, and the cinema chain decided not to run it after an online uproar. The inaugural Frame Forward AI Animated Film Festival unveiled Igor Alferov’s short film Thanksgiving Day as its winner.
“The national theatrical run, while truncated, is only an initial prize exposure for the winning film,” Roodman said in response. “The film will be adapted for Celeste’s Massive Immersive theatrical venues, the first of which will be built in New York within the year. Shared theatrical experiences are an important cultural bond. The traditional theatrical chains are vital to our cohesion as a society, and are duly cautious [about AI]. However, the media landscape is changing and evolving rapidly. They may be prudent, but it is important to MUS immersive that new and exciting films, filmmakers, cinematic language, and spaces for these shared experiences continue to develop. We will bring new content, and important existing content, to our developing venue network of venues, starting in New York. We will not see the theatrical window wither on our watch.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hollywoodreporter.com ’
