Top 10 Dolby Atmos movies for testing your setup

Looking to push your new home cinema setup to see what it's capable of? Check out our top 10 Dolby Atmos movies, perfect for showing off your new sound.

Ironically a film where the main plot point is about staying silent, A Quiet Place has been one of our favourite movies for testing Dolby Atmos setups. The clever use of object-based mixing creates both a compelling and gripping 3D soundstage. This film demonstrates how a much the smallest of sounds, when placed all around you, draw you into a scene and keep your eyes glued to the action.

The scene just before Emily Blunt's character gives birth, she is hiding from a creature in the basement and every noise has you on the edge of your seat. A clock ticking in the background sounds like it comes from a far corner of the room when watching with a good setup. Thrilling.

A film that received a lot of attention following its released is Dune. A movie scored by Hans Zimmer and with a sound team who have worked to create an all-encompassing sonic masterpiece, this movie is a delight to watch. While there is little dialogue in key scenes, the storytelling is kept alive by the small sounds all around you.

Winning the 2022 Oscar for Achievement in Sound, it's no surprise that Dune is a brilliant film for testing a Dolby Atmos setup.

Another film with a remarkable Hans Zimmer score is James Bond No Time To Die, Daniel Craigs fifth and final portrayal of the iconic British MI6 Agent.

There is a lot of action in this film, making it a great film for testing how well your setup brings a 3D effect. In particular, the car chase scene which features James Bond's bulletproof Aston Martin features an array of different effects. Most notable are the gunshot sounds which come from all around you.

The long-awaited sequel to the 1986 hit, Top Gun Maverick sees Tom Cruise take to the skies once more. There is certainly no shortage of immersive scenes in this action drama and there is a clear emphasis on practical effects.

AI Nelson, supervising sound producer on this film, commented not he famous Darkstar sequence, sharing how they leveraged sound design to have as much impact emotionally as a piece of orchestrated music.

From the sound design to the score, Gravity gives us one of the most innovative and unique performances when it comes to audio. Deciding to focus the sound design from the perspective of touch through vibrations and contact, the concept delivers incredible immersion (especially with an impressive setup).

The opening scene, set in silence, ensures that ever sound, every breath taken, is right there at the centre of the action.

As a film that is all about the music, Bohemian Rhapsody is full of captivating performances but it's the final 20 minutes that we keep coming back to. Recreating Queen's legendary Live Aid performance at Wembley, the film places you right there in the crowd as if you were watching it live.

The audio team took the 16-track archive recording secretly made by the BBC at the time and captured PA ambience with he help of Queen's sound engineers. Clever work which creates a truly impressive Dolby Atmos performance, placing every element of the audio in the right place.

If you somehow missed it, 1917 was applauded for its cinematography and engaging use of continuous shots for immersing viewers in the action,

Part of that immersion comes from the incredible attention to detail when it comes to sound effects and in the infamous sprint scene, the layers of sound all around him are perfectly placed to add to the tension and heighten the feeling of danger.

The sequel and reboot to the Mad Max franchise, Fury Road features a far from subtle soundtrack which matches the visually impressive scenes. Delivering an epic sense of scale, the film combines gunshots, sandstorms and background effects with Max's internal headspace to keep you glued to the ongoing chase scene.

Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One is a visually stunning sci-fi adventure and the audio doesn't let us down. From the nostalgic 80s soundtrack to the effects of the virtual world, this is another fantastic demonstration of how immersive Atmos content can be.

Now this might seem like an interesting movie to include in our top 10 as La La Land isn't known for its inclusion of dramatic effects or fast-paced action scenes. However, what we can experience with this film is how much Atmos surround sound can transport us to another time and place with music and atmosphere.