Sensory Friendly Movies

The anticipation of seeing a new movie…..the smell of popcorn in the air…..the murmur of the crowds before the lights turn off…..the exhilaration of the opening score…..

Going to the movies is one of my most favorite things to do, and something that my family rarely does these days. Once COVID hit, the idea of being in a theater with a bunch of strangers gave me enough anxiety to still be hesitant about going to this day. However, now my worries are not about how sanitary the theater is, but how feasible seeing a movie at the theater is for my son. All of the things I love about going to see a movie are the things that my son, and other neurodivergent children and adults, see as extremely overwhelming. It was not that long ago that my husband and I thought that we just wouldn’t go to the movie theater as a family, and that was completely okay. We are at the stage where our entire family has a routine with “Family Movie Night” at home, and that works for us. Plus, who doesn’t love watching a movie on your couch in your pajamas?!

It wasn’t until my friend Justine, a fellow Autism Mom, told me that a local theater was starting up their “Sensory Friendly Movies” again. While still hesitant, I started to get excited of getting to experience something new with my son, while being able to avoid the things that could be overwhelming for him. While I know that larger movie chains often have sensory days, the appeal of a local SMALL theater made me even more excited!

Positives of the Sensory Friendly Movie Experience

The entire movie going experience was absolutely wonderful! With weeks to prepare and explain what would and could happen during this outing, my family walked into the theater with low nerves all around!

There were so many elements of the experience that my son enjoyed, and the rest of family did as well:

• Early morning showing – this was important because the rest of the day was low key to help with regulating emotions and overstimulation (this was also before the theater was open for other showings, so having the entire theater to ourselves was quiet and comforting!)
• Small theater – this theater was not part of a large chain, so the small theater size helped in the crowd not being so overwhelming
• Low lights – the low lights were a great level of comfort because everyone could see while it not being super bright or extremely dark
• Ability to move around – any time a child or adult needed to get up, no one even batted an eye; there was plenty of room to walk around, still watch the movie, and not disrupt anyone else’s experience
• Ability to talk – if someone needed to talk or express their needs and emotions through other communication, they were free to do so; again, everyone was accepting of this during the entire duration of the movie
• Lower movie volume – sometimes movies can be SO LOUD and distracting, even more so for someone sensitive to sounds; the movie was at a lower volume, but was still plenty loud to hear everything without being blown away by the surround sound
• Comfort objects – many families, us included, carried in comfort items like stuffed animals, blankets, headphones, etc. which were extremely helpful in an extra level of comfort for those that needed it throughout the movie

Needless to say, this was an extremely memorable experience and truly a perfect way to spend a Saturday morning! I noticed that I was also calmer as well because I was surrounded by families like mine. I embraced the crowd and the comfort of being surrounded by this amazing community while being hopeful of more sensory friendly experiences for those who need it. The best part was discovering that there will be more sensory showings throughout the summer! For those of you questioning whether the movies could be a good outing for your neurodiverse family, I encourage you to find a theater near you and take a chance. It could be a new experience to make memories with your loved ones!

If you are in the PA, NJ, and DE area, check out Penn Cinemas to see if your local theater is offering a sensory friendly experience near you!