Hi Albert and welcome,
In movie theaters, the main front speakers are in fact centered behind the acoustically transparent screen and given the rake (slope of theater seats) and position of the screen it does put the front left, center and right speakers at or slightly above ear level for seated audience members. The point is to anchor movie dialogue and principal action right at the screen. That is why in a home cinema you want the front and center speakers at roughly the same level as the screen or a bit lower down.
The surround speakers in cinemas line each side wall, usually four on each side and two at the rear of the cinema, all located about halfway up each side and rear wall.
Axiom's multi-directional QS8 surround speaker duplicate the immersive effect of 10 surround speakers used in large cinemas.
Regards,
