I find that the theaters do in fact have quite the dynamic range but due to the size of the theater much of it is not as impactful as in the HT environment. I would guess this is due to the reasons Alan gave.
Most theaters have the volume very loud IMO, louder than most HT systems are usually set to, so the softer passages sound reasonable in such a lrage environment, but at home they are now quiet due to our lower than reference listening levels. Remember that movies generally do have a reference volume and that 0 setting on the receiver is it. How many of us listen at that level? I know I don't, I am usually around -25 to -15.
