Dolby Atmos in Hong Kong
200 screenings across 9 cinemas. Tickets from HK$60 to HK$170, averaging HK$124.
What is Dolby Atmos, and is it worth it?
Dolby Atmos is object-based sound. Instead of mixing audio into fixed channels, each sound is placed as an object in three-dimensional space and the cinema's processor routes it to whichever speakers reproduce that position — including speakers overhead, which conventional surround does not have.
The difference is most obvious on films that use height and movement: rain, aircraft, anything passing over you. On a mix that stays in front of the screen you will hear a cleaner soundtrack and little else, which for many films is not worth the premium.
9 cinemas in Hong Kong currently run Dolby Atmos, with 200 screenings of 5 movies over the next week. Tickets start at HK$60 and average HK$124.
A Dolby Atmos screening costs about 11% more than a standard one. Whether that is worth paying depends entirely on the movie: the difference is obvious on a large-scale visual release and marginal on a dialogue-driven one.
Cinemas with Dolby Atmos: B+ cinema apm (Kwun Tong), B+ cinema MOKO (Mong Kok East), GALA CINEMA (Langham Place), MOViE MOViE Cityplaza (Taikoo Shing), PREMIERE ELEMENTS, 大圍圍方, 澳門葡京人, 荃灣荃新天地, 銅鑼灣時代廣場.
Showing in Dolby Atmos this week: Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Kung Fu Soccer, THE END OF OAK STREET, Insidious: Out of the Further.
Compared with the other formats
Hong Kong also runs IMAX, 4DX, MX4D, CINITY LED. Each sells something different — some the picture, some the sound, some the seat — and each has its own explainer and current screenings.
Frequently asked questions
- Which cinemas in Hong Kong have Dolby Atmos?
- 9 currently do. The full list with showtimes is above.
- How much does a Dolby Atmos ticket cost in Hong Kong?
- From HK$60, averaging HK$124 — about 11% above a standard screening.
Showtimes
Movies showing here
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day 144 screenings · from HK$80
- Kung Fu Soccer 26 screenings · from HK$60
- THE END OF OAK STREET 17 screenings · from HK$70
- Insidious: Out of the Further 8 screenings · from HK$60
- The Dog Stars 5 screenings · from HK$60