Nine Ways to Save on Movie Tickets

Here are nine ways to save on movie tickets from Smart Money:

• Seek out freebies
• Clip coupons
• Head to the drive-in
• Check out independent theaters
• Buy in bulk
• Avoid reservation sites
• Trade up on snacks
• Go at off-times
• Be loyal

Here's my take on these:

1. We have a kids' film festival here twice a year. Kids get in free and adults pay $2.50 each. The movies have been out a bit of time, but for a "big screen" experience, it's hard to beat this.

2. We regularly get coupons for a free popcorn, so while we have to shell out for the movie itself, the treats (which have unlimited refills) are free.

3. We don't have a drive in around here. Are these even still around? I haven't been to one in a couple decades (fun memories, though.) ;-)

4. We have a $3.50 per ticket theater here that shows movies after they have been out a few weeks. If you can wait a bit to see a film, it's a great deal.

5. We don't see enough movies to buy in bulk.

6. Does every theater charge more to book online? Seems like the tickets should charge less.

7. Better yet -- buy at Walgreen's and take snacks with you. The theater size candy there is $1 versus $4 at our theater.

8. Yeah, we save $0.50 for going at something like 3 a.m., but the time/cost savings tradeoff just isn't there.

9. Again, we don't go that often to rack up points.

As far as alternatives to theaters, we use the public library (free) and Blockbuster (cheap) for most of our movie entertainment. But if you watched a lot of DVDs (which we don't), I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to justify joining Netflix.

Another source for us -- we have friends that own over 500 DVDs. Their family has 12 people (mom, dad, and 10 kids), so buying the DVD is by far a better deal for them than going to the theater (though Netflix would probably work for them too.)

Comments

[Blaine Moore]

There are drive ins everywhere here in Maine. We don't let go of things easily up here. There is one that I drive by every day, although when we go we usually drive the 20-25 minutes in the opposite direction to one that has 2 screens and less traffic outside so it is generally a better experience. We go a couple of times per year. This year was the earliest we've gone (early May) and was the first time that my wife stayed awake through both features.

If I really wanted to drive out of my way, there's another one about an hour from where I live, and another one about 3 hours from here (but relatively close to where my folks live.) Maine is great.

[always private]

Redbox... easy DVD rentals $1 per night.. return to any redbox vending machine.. and... FREE RENTAL CODES sent to your cell phone every Monday just for signing up online..

just make sure the Redbox vending machine is close by or on your daily route so you don't waste gas driving around..

[David]

I think going at off-times is talking about matinees. You know, early afternoon? Not 3 a.m. Do movies even show at 3 a.m.? Unless you meant p.m., but it shouldn't be hard to get to a 3 p.m. showing on a weekend. At any rate, the savings between a matinee and an evening showing, at least in my area, are substantial. One would be stupid to pay several extra dollars just to see a movie in the evening. But I guess there are a lot of stupid people.

[Kimberly]

At the AMC by our house, regular price is $9.75, matinees (before 6 pm) are $7.75 but if you go on weekends or holidays before noon tickets are only $5! We've been watching a lot of the summer blockbusters on the cheap this way.

Costco (we all love Costco, right?) sells AMC discounted tickets that would be a good deal if we ever wanted to go at night. It's $15 or $16 for two tickets.

We still have drive ins in PA too. Most of them just show on the weekends anymore. The one that was 7 days just shut down.

You get 2 movies instead of 1, but you really only save if they charge by the carload. These days they seem to charge $5-$7 per person, which isn't really saving, except that it's a cool experience and you can bring your own snacks (legally).

[Sam]

drive ins in Michigan:

Capri Drive-In, 119 W. Chicago Rd.(US 12), Coldwater, MI
Cherry Bowl Drive-In, 9812 Honor Hwy.(US 31), Honor, MI
Five Mile Drive-In, 28190 M 152, Dowagiac, MI
Ford-Wyoming 1-5, 10400 Ford Rd.(SR 153), Dearborn, MI
Ford-Wyoming 6-9, 6251 Wyoming St., Dearborn, MI
Getty 4 Drive-In, 920 E. Summit Ave., Muskegon Hts., MI
Hi-Way Drive-In, 2778 W. Sanilac Rd.(SR 46), Carsonville, MI
Michigan Drive-In, 742 Manitou Rd., Manitou Beach, MI
Miracle Twin Drive-In, 6383 E. Court St. N.(IR 69), Burton, MI
Sunset Drive-In, 69017 Red Arrow Hwy., Hartford, MI
S. 23 Twin Drive-In, 5200 Fenton Rd., Flint, MI

[Jimmy]

We have a drive-in here in western MA. Its pretty good. They show three movies in one night. Its pretty fun to go and hang out when the weather is nice during the summer.

[Robert]

I happen to be a huge fan of Netflix. For about $18 a month I am getting anywhere from 10 to 15 movies a month. On top of that, Netflix's selection is incredible. Not just the current top movies and a scattering of movies from the last few years like many video stores, Netflix seems to have most non-Adult movies that have been released on DVD. Ever.

A little while ago I decided to devote some time to viewing classic movies. In the course of a month I watched all 6 "Thin Man" movies from the 30s and 40s as well as quite a few classics I remembered enjoying at various times over the years - Mr. Roberts, Stalag 17, even a few classic musicals. With many other video services such as Blockbuster or Red Box, if a movie is not a recent release, the odds of finding it can be very low.

Of course, if you don't watch many movies, or mostly like to watch just the current releases, I can't say I would recommend a service like Netflix. While it has more variety and choices than any of us could hope to go through in our lifetime, a subscription is only worth it if you have enough interest to explore what it offers and put the service to work for you.

[Anitra]

We go to see very few movies in theaters anymore, we usually wait until they're out on DVD instead (and then borrow, rent, or buy)... When we do go to the movies, it's either to the "second-run" theater (about 1/2 the price of the big places) or the drive-in.

Even with just the two of us, the drive-in is a better value - $20 for the "carload", we get to watch two movies and bring whatever snacks we want. It's an even better value for larger families, especially since young kids can run around and burn off their energy without being (as much of) a nuisance.