Rialto Cinemas is set to hold its first sensory screening next month after a campaign by Dunedin autism advocate Joshua Sime.
Mr Sime - who lives with autism himself - found as he was growing up, attending movie theatres could be a stress-inducing event.
"Sometimes it could be quite loud, I would be so stressed in a movie theatre that I might drop my popcorn,"
The situation could often be so overwhelming that he would need to leave halfway through the film.
He believed other young people could experience the same situations and wanted to provide a way for young people who were not neurotypical to enjoy the experience as others would.
"One of the biggest things I find is common [in people with autism] is they all usually have sensory processing issues," he said.
So he made the step, and contacted cinemas around the city asking if they could hold screenings which people with sensory processing issues could attend.
"I want Dunedin to be a more inclusive community, and this is part of doing that."
Hundreds of people had interacted with a Facebook post he made in support of his idea.
Rialto Cinemas Dunedin assistant manager Michael Dillon said the theatre was aiming to hold more community focused events and when they received a message from Mr Sime they decided to jump on board.
"Treating people like people, that’s the big thing that I want to do ... our ethos is recognising each persons needs," he said.
Mr Dillon said the screenings would have brighter lighting and lower volume along with allowing patrons to move about.
Patrons would be allowed to make noise during the film and come and go as they pleased.
He said the cinema welcomed responses from the public about what specific movies they would like to see for future screenings.
"We want to hear back from people if they want specific movies. This wouldn’t be happening if there wasn’t a two-way dialogue," Mr Dillon said.
The film chosen for the premier of sensory screenings would be Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, a movie Mr Dillon described as a family-friendly musical which had been received well around the world.
The first sensory screening will be held on November 20 from 10.15am.
