The street
did a recent article on how to go the movies cheaper and beat the movie crowds. There is pretty good advice on how to save money
1. Go bargain
hunting
If your parents didn't teach you to shop sales or buy by unit price, now is the
time to learn.
The National Association of Theater Owners pegged the average price of a movie
ticket at $7.93 last year. A $34.99 four-pack of tickets from Costco may not help folks on the low end of that
average, but in cities where movie prices range from $11 to $13 a ticket, those
$8.75 tickets to Regal , Cinemark andAMC Theatres are basically all-day matinees.BJ's
Wholesale Club offers
the same four-pack deal, but only for AMC theaters.
This is great advice. My husband office has discount tickets for
sale as a perk of working there. TheEntertainment book also has coupons as well.
2.
Go early
AMC theaters have an early bird special of their own for the first show of the
day before 11 a.m. Shows start as early as 10 a.m., and seeing a summer
blockbuster by noon has far greater rewards than just saving the rest of your
day: Those early tickets are only $6 a pop, which is about half price in some
markets.
We usually take the kids to the early matinees for the discounts.
3.
Go off-peak
Ever go to a movie on a Monday? It's what moviegoing must be like for
apocalypse survivors.
No lines, no waiting and nobody sitting within 10 seats of you. It's a big
reason independent theaters hold special events early in the week, but it's
also a great way to shake off a particularly miserable Monday at the workplace.
If that doesn't fit your schedule, Tuesdays work just as well. Regal theaters
not only know this, but will offer you $2 popcorn and drinks to sweeten the
deal.
There are a number of local movie theaters
here in Boston on Tuesdays or Wednesday offers tickets for $5.00 all day long. Great way to see movies
cheaper!
4.
Go mobile
With all the online ticket buying options available, only service charges
should compel frugal buyers into waiting on line at the box office.
Comcast -owned Fandango's free mobile app chips
away even at that argument. If you're cool with service charges, the Fandango
app not only lets you buy tickets, but serves as a mobile ticket in some
markets. If you're averse to paying more for already costly tickets, the app
lets you know if there's a cheaper matinee available and, if so, how many
tickets for it have already been sold. It's a good way to avoid crowds and
costs without expending much energy.
5.
Go all-in
Rewards programs help make the expensive and unpleasant task of flying a bit
bearable. Why shouldn't it do the same for summer movie screenings?
If you're going to spend a premium to see first-run films anyway, you may as
well make it pay. AMC and Regal have rewards programs that offer customers
perks for the purchases. Regal's Crown Club gives away free popcorn for every
$50 customers spend, but holds out until they spend $300 to give them a free
ticket. AMC's Stubs program is a bit more generous, parting with $10 for every
$100 spent and sparing customers online convenience fees. The catch? Stubs
users pay $12 upfront.
Pretty good deal since popcorn and drinks can
be so expensive but these perks are only good if you go a lot.
6.
Go social
Theater chains aren't opposed to giving away release information and popcorn on
their Twitter and Facebook accounts. They're just trying to build
a following like everybody else, and all those likes can add up.
Carmike and Regal cinemas have each given their
social networking customers free concessions in the past, while 7-Eleven partnered with Foursquare on a movie ticket giveaway last
summer. Meanwhile, if you're not totally over flash sales, Groupon still offers the occasional $4 movie
ticket deal, while Living
Social has
offered pairs of tickets for $9.
7.
Go on the
open road
Moviegoers who haven't needed a TripTik since the dawn of GPS have another
reason to join AAA.
Auto club members can get tickets to Regal Cinemas for $8 a pop at their
regional offices. Yes, that's higher than the national average, but if you're
living in New York and paying about $5 above the national average for tickets,
that's about a $5 discount, isn't it. It's not a great reason to sign up for
AAA on its own, but when your car battery dies on street sweeping day, those
AAA services can come in handy.
When I worked in downtown Boston, we had a AAA
in our office building and I would often run down there on Friday for tickets.
I also bought tickets for gifts for my nieces and nephews.
8. Go plastic
Movie tickets are one of those relatively inexpensive throw-ins credit card
companies just love.
Visa Signature, for example, offers customers
two-for-one tickets through Fandango for Friday showings. American Express , meanwhile, will simply hold free
showings for its customers and offer pairs of passes to cardholders who pay
attention to their rewards updates. This year alone, Amex has given cardholders
freebie showings of The Lorax and American Reunion.
Good deal we haven’t personally come across
this since we don’t run a balance on our credit card but good to check it out
9. Go with a
gift card
Is it still a "gift" if you're giving the card to yourself?
Let's argue that it is. That being the case, discount gift card sites such as GiftCardGranny and PlasticJungle often offer gift cards from theater
chains for as much as a third less than their face value. GiftCardGranny, for
example, has offered a $100 AMC gift card for $77 (23% off) and a $25 card for
$15 (40% off).
Good deal if you can find it. I haven’t found really great discounts.
10. Go to a drive-in
They're a lot tougher to find these days, but moviegoers near one can get their
personal space and low prices they can't find at their local theater.
We usually go the drive in movie once a
year while we are on vacation. We pack snacks and popcorn and for $20 our whole
family of 5 can see 2 movies. It is a
lot of fun
