Hello fellow Nolan fans. I have something important to discuss that I felt needed its own topic. This is concerning the theatrical experience for Oppenheimer, regardless of what format you see it in.
What I need to say starts back years ago and is related to Tenet's theatrical release as well. I was meaning to post this for a long time, but as I'm sure you can imagine Covid and the pandemic caused many things in my life which kept me away from the forum for various personal reasons. Now that a new Nolan film is out, I felt that I had to make time to post this so that people would be aware of what's going on.
This will not be a discussion about how Tenet was as a film. When Tenet came out, its worldwide theatrical release was of course unprecedented and very inconsistent due to the pandemic and theater closures in different countries around the world at the time. My local area was blessed to have its theaters open at the time when Tenet came out. My area was also blessed with having Imax showings of Tenet. We never got the super rare 70mm Imax shows, but digital Imax (at a custom built Imax classic auditorium) was the next best thing. A friend and I saw Tenet multiple times, a couple times in Liemax and several times in digital Imax. We wanted to keep watching it as much as we could because in digital Imax at full volume the experience was magical. Then one day when we went to an Imax showing, suddenly the experience was noticeably worse. The audio volume was noticeably lower at this showing, and suddenly much of the magic of the film for us was gone. We walked out within minutes of the film starting and returned our tickets. I've been watching feature length films in Imax for many years, and this was the first time I had a bad audio experience in a real (custom built classic) Imax auditorium.
I then went on a journey of discovery as to why this happened. Through discussions with both Imax Corporation and my local exhibitor I found out concerning information. Firstly, Imax Corporation confirmed what many of us film fans have known for years, which is that they directly monitor the presentation experience of Imax auditoriums around the world. As to why the audio volume at that one Tenet showing for us was noticeably lower, this is where the big concern comes in. My local exhibitor told me they were directed by Imax Corporation to lower the audio volume. When I spoke to Imax Corporation about this, they told me that yes they did direct a lower audio volume because apparently a small number of people had complained that Tenet in Imax was too loud. I told Imax Corporation I disagreed for a number of reasons but they declined to take my concerns seriously. So the enjoyment of Tenet in Imax for my friend and I was arbitrarily cut short, and we never watched Tenet in Imax again as the audio experience was compromised. I tried to have further discussions with my exhibitor and Imax Corporation but they went nowhere. Imax Corporation simply refused to return the Tenet Imax shows back to full volume. Since that moment, all my film friends and I have been boycotting Imax. Also to a lesser extent, I found out my local exhibitor has for years been sometimes arbritrarly lowering the audio volume at their non-Imax auditoriums whenever a small number would complain that it's too loud.
For years I saw on the NF forums and other film forums people complaining about the audio experience at Imax shows at real custom-built Imax auditoriums. I never understood why this was happening (given that Imax Corporation monitored the presentation experience) until the situation with Tenet happened. Now we know the truth, that for an unknown number of years now Imax Corporation has been arbitrarily lowering the audio volume at their auditoriums whenever a small minority complain that it is too loud. This is a huge problem for a number of reasons. It absolutely detracts from the Imax experience and could be argued as being misleading or false advertising. Imax Corporation for years has advertised big screen and big sound. In fact a real custom-built Imax auditorium gives you the biggest screen and the biggest sound (when at full volume) that you can get period in a theatrical experience. Imax Corporation is hurting their own reputation by doing this. This also causes issues for exhibitors, studios and even directors. Exhibitors may face complaints that the audio at a showing is no good. This can negatively affect the reputation of exhibitors. Studios and their directorial talent may face bad reputations and complaints of poor sound mixing. For years now Chris Nolan has been (unfairly) accused of poor sound mixing. This has been a complete misinterpretation of what has been happening. The reality is that Chris Nolan mixes his films primarily for Imax (at full volume). I have watched over the years most of Chris Nolan's films in Imax and I never had a problem with the audio because the shows were always at full volume. I never had a problem that is until Tenet in Imax. I must have been blessed all of those years previously to have never had a problem before. So as long as you watch a Chris Nolan film in Imax at full volume, then you should not have any problems with the audio experience. Even watching a Nolan film in a premium large format auditorium at full volume should be a pretty good experience. If you end up watching a Nolan film at an auditorium (Imax or not) that is not at full volume, then you likely will encounter issues with your audio experience and audio enjoyment of the film. This stance by Imax Corporation is also a huge concern because it just gives a bad reputation for the film industry overall. There is also a financial concern here for Imax Corporation, exhibitors and studios and directors. Since the Tenet situation, I've spread word to film friends around the world about this, many of whom joined in my informal boycott of Imax Corporation. So since Tenet's theatrical release, an untold amount of money has been left on the table by people like myself that have abstained from Imax. Given that the pandemic put the theater industry and film industry overall at risk, it's mind blowing that Imax Corporation and certain exhibitors would be willing to alienate their most loyal customers (film buffs and theater lovers) just to please a minority of very unsuited audience members. In current times, the film industry and theater industry should be trying their hardest to attract people to theaters and differentiate the theatrical experience from watching films at home. One of the obvious ways to do that is to play films at full volume in all theater auditoriums.
I don't know to what extent this has been happening so far at Oppenheimer shows in theaters. If anyone has been experiencing noticeable issues in enjoying the audio experience of Oppenheimer in the theater though, then chances are likely that the exhibitor or Imax Corporation has arbitrarily lowered the audio volume for that theater auditorium.
So what is the solution here? To me it is very simple, and this is a disclaimer/rating system for theater auditoriums themselves. This can include information such as the theatrical experience may be an intense experience for some and is therefore not suitable for all audiences and that viewer discretion is advised. For decades films have had a disclaimer/rating system in the form of MPAA ratings and other related ratings systems throughout the world. Other entertainment industries have had disclaimer/rating systems for a long time as well. One example is the theme park industry and another example is the concert industry. In hindsight, it's actually quite shocking that to this day the film industry has not had a disclaimer/rating system for the presentation experience at theater auditoriums. This would solve all problems mentioned in this thread. It would neutralize and nullify any complainers that find the theatrical experience too loud. It would also simultaneously please, give peace of mind and give certainty to theater lovers and film lovers that enjoy the theatrical experience at full volume (the way it is meant to be enjoyed). I am of the very strong belief those that find theaters too loud are not suited for the theatrical experience, at all. I strongly believe that such people should stay home, where they can control their own audio experience to whatever low audio volume they want. When exhibitors or Imax Corporation start acquiescing to such a small minority of unsuited audience members, I strongly believe this disrespects not only film buffs and theater lovers but the majority of audience members that are there for big screen and big sound. Why else would people go to a theater? It is obviously to get an experience that they cannot get at home. If the sound volume is arbitrarily lowered at theater auditoriums to please this minority of unsuited audiences then there's almost no point of going to a theater, as you're no longer sure of getting a big sound experience.
I personally will continue to boycott Imax Corporation until I can get guarantees of a full volume experience at their showings. With my local exhibitor, any time I go to watch a film in a non-Imax auditorium, I simply double check and make sure that my exhibitor presents the film at full volume in the auditorium. With Imax auditoriums, that is not an option as that command comes from Imax headquarters. It's also not a realistic option because my Tenet experience showed that Imax Corporation was not willing to be reasonable when I requested the audio volume to be raised back up to full volume.
If you care about this issue as much as I do, please make your voice heard and your opinion known. Here is contact information for both Imax Corporation and Universal Pictures, Nolan's current studio. If Chris Nolan is not yet aware of this situation, then he also needs to be made aware through Universal Pictures. I also strongly recommend you contact your local exhibitor in your local area/country as well. If enough of us make our voices heard and our opinion known, then I believe we can make positive change here.
https://www.imax.com/content/contacts
https://www.universalstudios.com/contac ... n-theaters
What I need to say starts back years ago and is related to Tenet's theatrical release as well. I was meaning to post this for a long time, but as I'm sure you can imagine Covid and the pandemic caused many things in my life which kept me away from the forum for various personal reasons. Now that a new Nolan film is out, I felt that I had to make time to post this so that people would be aware of what's going on.
This will not be a discussion about how Tenet was as a film. When Tenet came out, its worldwide theatrical release was of course unprecedented and very inconsistent due to the pandemic and theater closures in different countries around the world at the time. My local area was blessed to have its theaters open at the time when Tenet came out. My area was also blessed with having Imax showings of Tenet. We never got the super rare 70mm Imax shows, but digital Imax (at a custom built Imax classic auditorium) was the next best thing. A friend and I saw Tenet multiple times, a couple times in Liemax and several times in digital Imax. We wanted to keep watching it as much as we could because in digital Imax at full volume the experience was magical. Then one day when we went to an Imax showing, suddenly the experience was noticeably worse. The audio volume was noticeably lower at this showing, and suddenly much of the magic of the film for us was gone. We walked out within minutes of the film starting and returned our tickets. I've been watching feature length films in Imax for many years, and this was the first time I had a bad audio experience in a real (custom built classic) Imax auditorium.
I then went on a journey of discovery as to why this happened. Through discussions with both Imax Corporation and my local exhibitor I found out concerning information. Firstly, Imax Corporation confirmed what many of us film fans have known for years, which is that they directly monitor the presentation experience of Imax auditoriums around the world. As to why the audio volume at that one Tenet showing for us was noticeably lower, this is where the big concern comes in. My local exhibitor told me they were directed by Imax Corporation to lower the audio volume. When I spoke to Imax Corporation about this, they told me that yes they did direct a lower audio volume because apparently a small number of people had complained that Tenet in Imax was too loud. I told Imax Corporation I disagreed for a number of reasons but they declined to take my concerns seriously. So the enjoyment of Tenet in Imax for my friend and I was arbitrarily cut short, and we never watched Tenet in Imax again as the audio experience was compromised. I tried to have further discussions with my exhibitor and Imax Corporation but they went nowhere. Imax Corporation simply refused to return the Tenet Imax shows back to full volume. Since that moment, all my film friends and I have been boycotting Imax. Also to a lesser extent, I found out my local exhibitor has for years been sometimes arbritrarly lowering the audio volume at their non-Imax auditoriums whenever a small number would complain that it's too loud.
For years I saw on the NF forums and other film forums people complaining about the audio experience at Imax shows at real custom-built Imax auditoriums. I never understood why this was happening (given that Imax Corporation monitored the presentation experience) until the situation with Tenet happened. Now we know the truth, that for an unknown number of years now Imax Corporation has been arbitrarily lowering the audio volume at their auditoriums whenever a small minority complain that it is too loud. This is a huge problem for a number of reasons. It absolutely detracts from the Imax experience and could be argued as being misleading or false advertising. Imax Corporation for years has advertised big screen and big sound. In fact a real custom-built Imax auditorium gives you the biggest screen and the biggest sound (when at full volume) that you can get period in a theatrical experience. Imax Corporation is hurting their own reputation by doing this. This also causes issues for exhibitors, studios and even directors. Exhibitors may face complaints that the audio at a showing is no good. This can negatively affect the reputation of exhibitors. Studios and their directorial talent may face bad reputations and complaints of poor sound mixing. For years now Chris Nolan has been (unfairly) accused of poor sound mixing. This has been a complete misinterpretation of what has been happening. The reality is that Chris Nolan mixes his films primarily for Imax (at full volume). I have watched over the years most of Chris Nolan's films in Imax and I never had a problem with the audio because the shows were always at full volume. I never had a problem that is until Tenet in Imax. I must have been blessed all of those years previously to have never had a problem before. So as long as you watch a Chris Nolan film in Imax at full volume, then you should not have any problems with the audio experience. Even watching a Nolan film in a premium large format auditorium at full volume should be a pretty good experience. If you end up watching a Nolan film at an auditorium (Imax or not) that is not at full volume, then you likely will encounter issues with your audio experience and audio enjoyment of the film. This stance by Imax Corporation is also a huge concern because it just gives a bad reputation for the film industry overall. There is also a financial concern here for Imax Corporation, exhibitors and studios and directors. Since the Tenet situation, I've spread word to film friends around the world about this, many of whom joined in my informal boycott of Imax Corporation. So since Tenet's theatrical release, an untold amount of money has been left on the table by people like myself that have abstained from Imax. Given that the pandemic put the theater industry and film industry overall at risk, it's mind blowing that Imax Corporation and certain exhibitors would be willing to alienate their most loyal customers (film buffs and theater lovers) just to please a minority of very unsuited audience members. In current times, the film industry and theater industry should be trying their hardest to attract people to theaters and differentiate the theatrical experience from watching films at home. One of the obvious ways to do that is to play films at full volume in all theater auditoriums.
I don't know to what extent this has been happening so far at Oppenheimer shows in theaters. If anyone has been experiencing noticeable issues in enjoying the audio experience of Oppenheimer in the theater though, then chances are likely that the exhibitor or Imax Corporation has arbitrarily lowered the audio volume for that theater auditorium.
So what is the solution here? To me it is very simple, and this is a disclaimer/rating system for theater auditoriums themselves. This can include information such as the theatrical experience may be an intense experience for some and is therefore not suitable for all audiences and that viewer discretion is advised. For decades films have had a disclaimer/rating system in the form of MPAA ratings and other related ratings systems throughout the world. Other entertainment industries have had disclaimer/rating systems for a long time as well. One example is the theme park industry and another example is the concert industry. In hindsight, it's actually quite shocking that to this day the film industry has not had a disclaimer/rating system for the presentation experience at theater auditoriums. This would solve all problems mentioned in this thread. It would neutralize and nullify any complainers that find the theatrical experience too loud. It would also simultaneously please, give peace of mind and give certainty to theater lovers and film lovers that enjoy the theatrical experience at full volume (the way it is meant to be enjoyed). I am of the very strong belief those that find theaters too loud are not suited for the theatrical experience, at all. I strongly believe that such people should stay home, where they can control their own audio experience to whatever low audio volume they want. When exhibitors or Imax Corporation start acquiescing to such a small minority of unsuited audience members, I strongly believe this disrespects not only film buffs and theater lovers but the majority of audience members that are there for big screen and big sound. Why else would people go to a theater? It is obviously to get an experience that they cannot get at home. If the sound volume is arbitrarily lowered at theater auditoriums to please this minority of unsuited audiences then there's almost no point of going to a theater, as you're no longer sure of getting a big sound experience.
I personally will continue to boycott Imax Corporation until I can get guarantees of a full volume experience at their showings. With my local exhibitor, any time I go to watch a film in a non-Imax auditorium, I simply double check and make sure that my exhibitor presents the film at full volume in the auditorium. With Imax auditoriums, that is not an option as that command comes from Imax headquarters. It's also not a realistic option because my Tenet experience showed that Imax Corporation was not willing to be reasonable when I requested the audio volume to be raised back up to full volume.
If you care about this issue as much as I do, please make your voice heard and your opinion known. Here is contact information for both Imax Corporation and Universal Pictures, Nolan's current studio. If Chris Nolan is not yet aware of this situation, then he also needs to be made aware through Universal Pictures. I also strongly recommend you contact your local exhibitor in your local area/country as well. If enough of us make our voices heard and our opinion known, then I believe we can make positive change here.
https://www.imax.com/content/contacts
https://www.universalstudios.com/contac ... n-theaters
