The big issue with 4DX and ScreenX, from a concept point of view, is that none of the additional experience provided with the increased ticket price is created by or overseen by the filmmakers who made the movie being shown. All of the 4DX effects, and all of the ScreenX extensions, are designed by third parties that graft that material on to an already finished film.
I think that limits the ability to sell the formats because they don’t really integrate with the film. They happen on top of the film. It can be a fun ride but it doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s a vital part of the experience.
Compare that to IMAX, where filmmakers are using special cameras to capture additional detail to be shown on those larger screens. The actual filmmakers are incorporating IMAX into their process and it comes across as being part of the movie.
If you go see Avengers Endgame in IMAX, you’re seeing extra visual information that the filmmakers designed and shot themselves. If you see Endgame in 4DX, someone else has decided when to rock your chair for you to make it feel more “real”. If you see Endgame in ScreenX, you see slides to the left and right of the main screen with backgrounds that look similar to what’s in the movie but added by someone else who thought they looked good.
I think there is a very limited market for add ons that double the ticket price but don’t add content to the experience and aren’t sanctioned by the filmmakers.
These add-ons apparently do very well in certain international territories so I guess it doesn’t hurt the companies that own those patents to try reintroducing it here every now and then.