Are The Movies Too Loud?

I took my son to see Toy Story 3 yesterday but we had to leave early. The movies were too loud for him! The loud sound bothered my ears, too, so I’m not sure if I’m getting old, or, if the movies are getting louder! At first, I thought the loudness was due to the fact that they were showing previews, but then the movie came on and the sound stayed up there, at several decibels! My four-year-old son started crying and covering his ears and said he wanted to go home! So, we got up with our jumbo popcorn and soda and I asked for a refund for our tickets. Do you think the movies are too loud nowadays? The movie was also in 3-D, which I thought was cool! I really wanted to see this movie, too, because I enjoyed Toy Story 1 & 2, but I was sure that when I left that theater, my ears would’ve been ringing.

I went to see Avatar in the theater on Mother’s Day weekend and the sound of that movie didn’t bother me. However, it was in an older theater. I paid a reduced price to see it since it was already out on DVD when I saw it in the theater.

I submitted a proposal yesterday. I’m starting to feel kind of antsy since I still don’t have another contract on the horizon! Hopefully, this one will pan into a sale! I’ve been fishing a lot lately, but, so far, no bites! 🙁

I’m still waiting for news. At least I haven’t gotten any rejections with my recent submissions, so, that’s good, I guess…

~Cecelia Dowdy~

6 thoughts on “Are The Movies Too Loud?

  1. Kelly Freestone

    The movies? Too loud? YES! I’m sorry, you couldn’t hear me? Let me turn the tv down… yes. I think they’re too loud lately.
    Then again, the commercials on tv are so loud that when I get the volume down, and finally get to where the “edge” is taken off, when the show comes back on, I can’t hardly hear what they’re saying.
    Movies are opposite in the theater…they’re deafening.

    Reply
  2. PatriciaW

    Cecelia, you probably should have spoken to the manager. Of course, with a crying child, it was probably easier to leave.

    My family saw Toy Story 3 over the weekend and the volume was okay. The previews were a little louder than the actual movie. But I’ve noticed that the sound in action figure movies–Ironman, Transformers, etc.–is way over the top. They can make adjustments if enough people complain.

    Reply
  3. Cecelia Dowdy

    Thanks for your comments, Kelly and Patricia! I was talking to a coworker today and he gave some interesting insight. He asked me if the theater was full, and I told him it was practically empty. He said that when a place is full, they usually turn the volume up louder because all of those bodies absorb some of the sound. I said, “Are you sure?” He said, “Yes.” He mentioned that the ballpark turns the volume down when the park is not full because it gets too loud when it’s partially empty. I don’t know how true that is, but I could see it happening. He’d said that they probably never turned the volume down from when the last crowd was in the theater.

    Reply
  4. Karen Lange

    What, I can’t hear you, the movie is too loud! I agree, they are too loud, and so are many other things. Like commercials, music in some stores…Maybe we should carry ear plugs wherever we go? 🙂

    Reply
  5. Cecelia Dowdy

    Hey, Karen!

    Earplugs!! That’s exactly what I wanted when I was sitting in that movie theater! Maybe the movie people could sell them for a few bucks a piece for those that think the movie is too loud?

    Reply
  6. Anonymous

    Movies are DEFINITELY TOO LOUD. I have learned to take ear plugs to movies. If I watch TV, I hold the remote to mute the commercials because they also are TOO LOUD.
    Do you think that the people who do the sound are already losing their hearing because they are “plugged in” to ipods, or other devices?
    Before I retired, I was finding that often my hearing was still better than that of many students. I could hear them if they tried to whisper to each other, and they were astounded.
    Kaye Whitney
    kayewhitney@bellsouth.net

    Reply

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