Oppenheimer and the resurgence of Blu-ray and DVDs: How to stop your films and music from disappearing::In an era where many films and albums are stored in the cloud, “streaming anxiety” is making people buy more DVDs, records – and even cassette tapes.
I’m convinced that it’s not actually any better in theaters, we’re just a lot more willing to bear painfully loud audio in a setting where it’s considered normal. There’s an argument to be made that it’s similar to concerts, but for my money I’d like to not have to wear ear protection in a theater just because some director figured minor hearing hearing damage is worth an especially “epic” crescendo.
I legitimately bring hearing protection to any Nolan films and any “Dolby cinema” branded theaters, as that’s code for “we just turn the volume up until every word is painful for anyone under 65”
Even with in-ear stuff meant for the range, I can hear the films clearly because they are so loud, lol.
That’s probably a good idea for others to start following, as this is becoming an issue in general.
https://news.northeastern.edu/2022/05/26/movie-theater-hearing-damage/
https://www.alpinehearingprotection.com/blogs/party-music/why-are-cinema-films-so-extremely-loud
https://www.earpros.com/blog/movie-theater-decibels
tl;dr Movie theaters have gotten louder, and some movies(particularly action movies) can cause permanent hearing loss. It might not be a huge leap so that it’s completely noticeable, but it’s gonna chip away at people’s ability to hear things.