Lights up, sound down, and freedom to move — movies the way your child needs them.
At a sensory-friendly screening the house lights stay up, the volume comes down, and nobody minds if your child gets up, talks, sings, or moves around. The major theater chains all run versions of this, usually on a set day each month, so there's likely one near you — the listings below link straight to each chain's official schedule.
These city guides have a smaller selection. The count reflects sourced local places.
A chain may offer a sensory program at selected branches. Use its official location finder or schedule to confirm a specific venue before traveling. These references are listed once here and are separate from local venue counts.
United States · AMC Theatres
2nd & 4th Saturdays (family films); select Wednesday evenings (mature films)
Use the official page to find a participating AMC near you and confirm the title and showtime — films rotate each month.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 17, 2026. Confirm current availability.
United States · Regal Cinemas
Select matinees at participating Regal locations (see schedule)
Search your local Regal on the My Way Matinee page — participating theaters and dates vary by market.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 17, 2026. Confirm current availability.
United States · Cinemark
First Saturday morning of each month at participating locations
Availability varies by theater — check your nearest Cinemark's page or call to confirm the sensory-friendly showtime.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 17, 2026. Confirm current availability.
United Kingdom · ODEON
One Sunday morning each month (about 11:30am) at 90+ ODEON cinemas — check your local cinema
Search your nearest ODEON on the autism-friendly page — the exact Sunday and film vary by cinema each month, so confirm before you travel.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
United Kingdom · Cineworld
First Sunday morning of each month (most locations)
Most Cineworlds run these on the first Sunday morning — check your local cinema listings to confirm the title and exact time.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
United Kingdom · Vue
Last Sunday of every month (about 10:30am), at all Vue sites
Vue has run these the longest — they fall on the last Sunday each month; book ahead as the popular family titles sell out.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
Ireland · ODEON
One Sunday morning each month — check your local ODEON in Ireland
Confirm the Sunday and film on the ODEON Ireland page — dates and titles rotate monthly by cinema.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
Ireland · Omniplex
Every weekend (Saturdays in the Republic of Ireland), around 12pm, at all Omniplex cinemas
Omniplex runs these weekly — a Saturday option most weekends, so you are rarely far from the next screening.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
Ireland · IMC Cinemas
Monthly sensory-friendly screenings — check your local IMC cinema
IMC schedules these monthly and the date varies by location — check the cinema page or call ahead to confirm.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
Australia · Event Cinemas
Sundays at selected locations across Australia (not during school holidays)
Sessions run Sundays at selected cinemas and pause during school holidays — check the Event Cinemas sensory page for the next date near you.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
Australia · HOYTS
Once a month on a Saturday at participating HOYTS cinemas
HOYTS runs one sensory Saturday a month — the date and film vary by cinema, so confirm on the HOYTS sensory page before you go.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
United States · Village Cinemas
Sensory-friendly sessions at Village Cinemas (Victoria) — see session times
Village runs these across its Victorian cinemas — check the session finder for your nearest Melbourne-area location.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
Canada · Cineplex
Select Saturday mornings (about every 4–6 weeks), lights up and sound down, at theatres across Canada
Cineplex posts titles up to two weeks ahead — screenings run roughly every 4–6 weeks on Saturday mornings, so check the schedule before you plan.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
United States · Landmark Cinemas
About one Saturday a month at Morning Movies pricing — check your local Landmark
Landmark runs roughly one sensory-friendly Saturday a month — the exact date varies by location, so confirm on the cinema page.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked June 21, 2026. Confirm current availability.
United States · Marcus Theatres
Select Saturday mornings at 11am at participating Marcus Theatres
Check the Reel Movies lineup page for the next Saturday title and confirm your theatre is on the participating list before you go.
Official program and participating locations ↗
Published source · Source checked July 8, 2026. Confirm current availability.
Sensory-friendly showtimes are scheduled — usually one set day a month — so timing is everything. Each major cinema chain runs its own version on its own schedule; you'll find the specific chains and days in the listings below for your city. Because the exact film and time rotate and not every location participates, always open the chain's official schedule and confirm your specific cinema before you go. Arriving a few minutes early to pick seats near an exit can make leaving for a break easier.
It's a regular movie shown with the lights left up and the sound turned down, in a relaxed setting where guests are free to move, talk, sing, or step out and come back. Trailers are often skipped so the film starts right at showtime. The format is designed so families who find a standard dark, loud theater overwhelming can still enjoy a movie together.
Most of the big cinema chains run a version. In the US that's AMC's Sensory Friendly Films, Regal's My Way Matinee, and Cinemark's sensory-friendly showtimes; in the UK and Ireland, ODEON, Cineworld, Vue, Omniplex and IMC; in Australia, Event Cinemas, HOYTS and Village; and in Canada, Cineplex and Landmark. Each runs on its own schedule at participating locations only, so use the official links on each listing to confirm the nearest cinema, date and title.
No — they're priced as a standard (usually matinee) ticket. There's no premium for the relaxed format. Pricing and any membership discounts work the same as a normal showing at that theater.
Local entries link to a source and include a source-check date. National program pages do not establish which branches participate. Read our process on the How We Verify page.