Curtis' autism has made for some interesting movie theater experiences. He saw Puss In Boots this weekend, being a big Shrek fan, and Laura said everything went pretty well. That hasn't always been the case.
Curt's first movie was Michael Jackson "Is This It". Big MJ fan at the time and I thought all the music that mesmerized him in a car or on TV would also do the same in a theater. At the time, he had an obsession with pay phones and wanted to leave the theater for the lobby every 15 minutes. We left about halfway through the movie.
Since then he's gotten more used to the movie theater but there are still hang-ups. The combination of loud noise and being in the dark are two instant turnoffs for Curtis. Other autistic children as well I'm sure. He also doesn't get why you can't talk in your normal voice in a theater while the movie is playing even when you explain it to him repeatedly. He always wants to leave a theater a few times and can be nervous about getting back in the same seats after a break.
One thing I've seen written about, though not locally, are sensory friendly films. Families affected by autism can attend screenings of movies where the sound is turned down and the lights are turned up, among other accommodations, and where its okay to talk in a normal voice during the movie. The kids can also practice the appropriate way to act in a theater without all the pressure. In addition to movie theaters, Broadway got into the act over the summer with a sensory friendly theater performance of Lion King which proved to be a big success. It sold out and reportedly could have again. The show used a similar lights up, sound down approach to make kids with Autism and similar disabilities feel more comfortable. Also removed for the show were:

-reduction of jarring sound
-strobe lights in the audience
-staffed break areas in the lobby
-downloadable social stories about the theater and production.

It's great to see movies and plays getting the autism treatment

Greg, Dad