Of all the movies I’ve seen on the big screen, the one I treasure most is the original “Star Wars.” I’ll never forget sitting in the theater just a few weeks after it came out in 1977, in awe as the pointy, imposing bow of an Imperial Star Destroyer appeared from over my head. I was equally in awe as Luke Skywalker and his fellow X-wing fighter pilots dodged TIE fighters toward the end of the film. I felt as if I were flying with them.

The Lumière is designed to create a similar sensation: that what’s on the screen is actually happening around you. It is an immersive entertainment experience that turns your onboard cinema—walls and ceiling included—into the filmscape.

The Lumière comes from Genesis Technologies Marine, an A/V distributor that creates multiroom audio solutions, cinemas and more for superyachts, and from Van Geest Design, which provides superyacht styling and interior-design services.

“The idea behind The Lumière concept was to find a way to truly immerse yourself in the movie and for the room to become one with the projection, with its lighting and the resonating images and sound,” says Pieter van Geest, CEO of Van Geest Design. “Boundaries of a small space are erased, and your senses are awakened.”

Cinema-quality imagery comes via a Barco Residential DCI-compliant projector. (Barco is a brand of choice for some Hollywood home theaters, including producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s.) The projector is packaged with a “day and date” service by Bel Air Cinema, which lets yachtsmen watch first-run movies and events such as concerts on the same day they’re released to box offices, or prior to theatrical release in some territories. The walls and ceilings come into play thanks to Philips’ LightVibes, which Genesis Technologies Marine Division turned into acoustically transparent modules. The system syncs the ambient video and surrounding lighting effects with what’s occurring on the 14-foot-diagonal screen straight ahead, and pairs with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3D for sound.

Each installation of The Lumière is custom-sized and includes furniture. The cost is approximately $2.2 million.

And in case you’re wondering why it’s called The Lumière: The name honors French film pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumière. The brothers created one of the first motion-picture cameras and projectors in the 1890s. 

For more information: genesis-tech.eu, vangeestdesign.com