A spokesperson for Dolby said that all sound system formats should comply with industry standards, but that each cinema should still “integrate and calibrate” its settings.
Dolby, the leading sound system, has traditionally set the “fader”, or volume control, at number seven, although some rival systems calibrate levels differently.
Average sound levels of 85 decibels, coupled with limits on the maximum permitted sound levels, “are well below those likely to pose any health risk to customers,” he said.
Many filmgoers say they believe sound levels have been crawling up the decibel scale, and not just for the adverts and trailers.