Dolby Atmos in Hong Kong

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.

4 cinemas in Hong Kong currently run Dolby Atmos, with 46 screenings of 3 movies over the next week. Tickets start at HK$60 and average HK$109.

A Dolby Atmos screening costs about 7% 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), Emperor Cinemas Causeway Bay (Times Square), Emperor Cinemas Tai Wai (The Wai), GALA CINEMA (Langham Place), PREMIERE ELEMENTS (Kowloon Station).

Showing in Dolby Atmos this week: Street Fighter *, Resident Evil *, WHALEFALL.

Compared with the other formats

Hong Kong also runs IMAX, 4DX, MX4D. Each sells something different — some the picture, some the sound, some the seat — and each has its own explainer and current screenings.