A night at the movies can be a great get-together for the entire family whether at the theater or at home. Hollywood is getting more family conscious and producing more movies for general audiences so the selection is better than in times past. Read on for tips on savings at the movies!
Original photo credit: EvelynGiggles
If you’re not sure about a movie’s content, please do your research. You can’t always go by the rating it seems.. I like to go to IMDB.com and check the parental guides.
Going to the movies can be pricey these days! You can expect to spend about $7 to $10 or more for an adult ticket and about $2 less for children under 12.
Student Discounts
Discounts are available for students who provide a valid school ID, if you are a homeschooler, just make your own school id’s for your kids.
Timing is everything!
What time you go to a movie does make a difference. Most theaters offer a matinee discount of several dollars if you catch the afternoon showings. These usually are the movies shown before 5 PM. Some theaters also have certain days where you can get matinee prices all day. This is usually on a slow day like Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
Dollar movie theaters
Find a dollar movie theater or at least one that offers very cheap tickets. We have two in our area. The one we go to the most is $2.00 per ticket, Tuesdays it is $1.50. They show the same movies, just a few weeks later than first run theaters. It’s worth a wait if you want to save money.
Drive-In theaters
Drive-In theaters are still found in some cities, sadly there is not one near us. Some offer first run movies at a discount and others even allow the entire carload to get in for one price. Drive-In movies are ideal for families because you can bring in food and drinks. When I was a kid we would sit in the back of a pick-up truck. I miss that!
Movies in the Park
See if your local parks host any of these free movie in the park nights.
Local Library Family Movie Nights
Our local library hosts free family movie nights. Meet up with your friends and let the kids enjoy a free movie together.
Have a movie night at home for the family
But, do more than just rent a DVD by involving the entire family and creating a more theater like atmosphere. Pop some popcorn for the aroma and darken the room. With a DVD, you’re in control and can schedule an intermission for bathroom breaks and snacks of pickles, candy and ice cream in addition to the popcorn.
To save money on DVDs join a movie club like Netflix and get your movies by mail. Finish one and they’ll mail you another one, we prefer the streaming packages though. You can also check out RedBox!
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We usually do a movie night at home to save on costs, and the annoyance of other people (who aren’t very considerate of others) in the theater. When we do go see a movie, however, we make sure to go in the block of time that it’s super cheap — like $5 as opposed to almost $9!
My kids love to go to the first showing of a movie so they don’t have to wait for the fun. I love going because I can save a ton with my family of five.
I used to love to go to drive in movies. It was a fun date, but I got into so much trouble by stealing a speaker. My mother found it in my closet. Oops!
These are some really great tips for saving on going to the movies. If I’m not mistaken, I ‘think’ I’ve seen Groupon offer discounts from time to time on movie tickets too. Also the Entertainment coupon book is filled with movie coupons too.
We love going to the dollar store and getting candy and then having movie nights at home. I don’t think we have any movies at the park but that would be so much fun!
We LOVE drive in movies! My husband discovered a drive-in theatre about 30 minutes away a few years ago and we now go once in a while. It’s always a favorite destination when we have guest from France or other foreign countries. It is the quintessential American experience!
Thanks for the tips! We are a family of 6, going to the movies can be pretty spendy. 🙁