Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
Listen to me talk about this article in my podcast.
Movie-goers have a love-hate relationship with movie theaters. While we love seeing movies on the big screen, unplugging from life for a few hours, and enjoying movie theater popcorn – we hate the price tags. Between ticket prices and a few snacks, two people can drop over $30 easily. To our great relief, there are ways to slash movie theater prices – both for tickets and for snacks – and it doesn’t involve just waiting for the DVD to come out.
Wait a few weeks: Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first… waiting for first-run movies to hit the secondary theaters. Patience equals money in your pocket. First, you’ll automatically slash ticket prices in half or better. Then, on top of lower admission, many theaters also offer lower concession prices or even freebies, like a small popcorn with each ticket.
Go shopping first: Manufacturers of various products often team up with big name movies to cross-promote. Free movie tickets are abounding with these offers. Right now, Kellogg’s and M&M’s brands are two that have teamed up with movie producers to push the new Avengers movie, Age of Ultron. If you’re not interested in that particular movie, don’t worry, you don’t have to see any specific movie. You’re actually earning “movie cash” towards the price of any ticket. You don’t even need to choose the movie right now, the earned credit is good for months – giving you plenty of time to use it. Right now, you can earn by purchasing four M&M’s products; or six Kellogg’s cereal products or Pop-Tarts products. There is also a Walmart exclusive offer with certain Eggo products.
Join the club: Most theater chains offer some kind of movie club or rewards. They are typically free to join, and you get a card or id number that provides you with benefits. Benefits can range from lower concession prices to earning freebies. Usually the card is used to accumulate points every time you go to the movies, which then can be redeemed for free concessions, free admission – or even both.
Buy your tickets online: Fandango.com has been around for years, and with their online ticket purchasing club, you can earn discounts and freebies. You might even be selected for free first-screenings of movies. There is another one, too, that offers discounted tickets almost any time. Dealflicks.com allows you to pick your theater, movie, and show time, buy right online and head to the theater. Much of what they offer are combo deals, where you get tickets, popcorn, and drinks for one price, at up to 60% off. Plus, they offer a nice referral program for even more savings.
Change when you go: If you’re able to, going earlier in the day is less expensive. I realize that’s not news, but what you might not know is that some theaters offer even cheaper prices on the first movies of the day. For example, some Celebration Cinema theaters in Michigan offer special pricing on their movies that start before 1 p.m., and on early concessions. All you need is the coupon you can get right on their website.
Change where you go: It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with movie-going. You always go to the same theater, because you like it or it’s just habit. Take time ahead of your next movie outing to check out the smaller or independent theaters within reasonable driving distance. Not all of them are second-run theaters, but you’re likely to find closer to second-run movie prices and lower concessions.
Go pro: For the diehard movie-goer, there is the “ultimate” option: Moviepass.com. Moviepass offers members unlimited movie admission for $30 ($35 in some areas) per month. You can even save some of that monthly fee through their generous referral program. The card you receive to show you’re a member is only good for you, and you need to have either an iPhone or an Android phone for their app. You can’t see more than one movie in a 24 hour period, but if you are someone who goes to multiple movies in a month – this might be for you.
