In more than 100 years, the medium of filmmaking has changed from optical films to magnetic tape to digital. However, the two-dimensional silver screen and its relationship with the audience remained constant and informed all the filmmaking conventions, including sound design. In 360° cinematic virtual reality (cine-VR), these two references no longer exist. The viewer is part of the virtual world and can decide where to look and interact with the cinematic world. This unique feature of cine-VR presents new possibilities and challenges. Hence, all filmmaking conventions, including sound design, require rethinking. Despite scholars’ growing interest in Sound design for immersive experiences in cine-VR, the studies still need to be expanded. The present study aims to understand how film students, professionals, and others with varying experience levels in cine-VR, involved in filmmaking or viewing, perceive the role of sound design in cine-VR compared to traditional cinema. An online survey was conducted to understand the perspective of different user groups. This primary study presents the comparative analysis of the first 122 participant’s responses. The results show the participants agree that the role of sound design is more critical in cine-VR than in screen-based cinema. The immersion, guiding attention, and realistic experience remain the main objectives. The study helps to understand different users’ perspectives, which is necessary to develop the guidelines and framework for sound design in cine-VR. In future, the study will expand to include a larger sample size and more diverse groups.