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.

5 cinemas in Hong Kong currently run Dolby Atmos, with 45 screenings of 4 movies over the next week. Tickets start at HK$80 and average HK$113.

A Dolby Atmos screening costs about 8% 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 MOKO (Mong Kok East), Emperor Cinemas Causeway Bay (Times Square), GALA CINEMA (Langham Place), MOViE MOViE Cityplaza (Taikoo Shing), PREMIERE ELEMENTS (Kowloon Station).

Showing in Dolby Atmos this week: Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Kung Fu Soccer, Insidious: Out of the Further, THE END OF OAK STREET.

Compared with the other formats

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