10 Ways to Save Money on Movies
While TV/movie-watching isn't something we do every day here at Chez FG, we do enjoy watching movies sometimes, especially when it's a family affair.
And as you might have guessed, we're not huge fans of paying full price for movie-watching. So, I thought I'd make a list of the ways we keep our movie-watching costs to a minimum.
First up, I've got a few ways to save money on movies at the theater, followed by ways we save on home movies.
5 ways to save money on movies at the theater
1. Find a cheap theater in your area.
I think cheap theaters used to be slightly more common than they are now, but they do still exist. Try googling your city name along with "cheap theater", "second run theater", or "dollar theater".
These theaters typically show movies that have finished their run at other theaters, so you have to be patient in order to take advantage of their low prices.
This can pay off big time, though, especially if you have a large family. Taking the six of us to a $12 theater runs us $72, but at the $3.50 theater, we all can see a movie for only $24.
So much more do-able!
2. Get yourself to a matinee.
Captain Obvious here, I know, but if you haven't got a cheap theater, or you just can't wait to see something, matinees are worth considering.
3. Don't take the whole family.
Since it costs a lot for the six of us to go, sometimes Mr. FG will do movie dates with just one of the kids.
Regular-priced movie tickets are less overwhelming with just two people.
4. Take advantage of free summer movie showings.
I'm writing this in the winter, but summer IS going to come around again, and when it does, Regal Movie Express offers $1 family-friendly movies.
They're not ever brand-new releases, but they're a fun way to give kids a movie theater experience.
5. Sign up for theater email lists.
Mr. FG is on the email list for local theaters, so when he takes a kid on a movie trip, he's usually got a coupon to take along. He just uses the search feature in gmail to locate the latest promotional email.
4 ways to save money on movies at home
6. Use Redbox, and google for discount codes
Redbox is a pretty cheap movie rental option to begin with, but there are often discount codes floating around the internet, so do a quick search before you rent.
7. Use No-Rush Shipping on Amazon Prime
If you're a Prime member and aren't in a big hurry to get your order, you can select no-rush shipping and get $1 in Amazon credit toward MP3s, movies, and other streaming content.
The credits are stackable, so you can get free streaming movies this way.
8. Use your library's movie collection.
The selection varies by library system, of course, but this is a great way to get movies for free. Most libraries will allow you to place a hold on a movie, which makes the picking-up process as simple as stopping at Redbox.
9. Check alternative sites for DVD purchases.
I much prefer to stream/borrow/rent movies when possible, because that way they can't turn into clutter. But if there's something you really want to own, check on half.com orEbay to see if you can get a deal.
Amazon also offers a half.com-like experience if you browse the used section.
10. You fill it in!
Do you have a good idea for reducing movie-watching costs, either at home or in the theater? Add the last item to my list by sharing your idea in the comments.
Coin star machines let you get gift cards instead of cash. I recently used a coin star machine and received a gift card for $35 to the movie theatre
Ooh, that's a good one! I didn't remember seeing the movie theater option, but I'll look next time I have a pile of coins.
An excellent idea to sign-up on line with your favourite movie theatre or chain. Myself, I ask for senior's rate & usually get the rate without having to show ID (which I am prepared to offer). I am guessing my age shows, sigh, smile! (I am learning to respond 'nice enough' to folks around me.)
Also, I go for late afternoon, and early evening shows. Less of a crowd that way, I suppose.
Oh, I smiled at the clerk when I retorted: 'What!, I have to pour my own own soft-drink!?'
For fairness sake, the theatre is in almost downtown Vancouver in a okay mall. And, the theatre is well appointed and the rest rooms via with the best hotels.
So, I will pour my own soda drink! Wonder, if I can get a free refill?
Cheers,
Richard in Vancouver BC
Sign up for the Redbox texting/email club and you will get a lot of free promo codes. Also sign up for the Redbox Play Pass to "earn" free movies, but these accumulate even when you use free promo codes. We always reserve our movies at home online to make sure they have it and to save time at the box.
I used to use Swap-A-DVD for getting rid of movies we're done with and requesting different titles. Not sure if they're still viable, but worth a quick search. I also get movies at the Friends of the Library's book sales for a buck or two. Nothing first run, of course, but lots of interesting titles.
There's a brick-and-mortar video rental place near us that rents all children's movies for free. A lot of their other movie rentals are only a few dollars.
We use the library mostly though. But you have to plan ahead for that.
Air Miles! You can get vouchers for movie theatre tickets by trading in a rather modest amount of Air Miles.
We love the cheap seat theaters. We have one by us that does matinees for only $.50 a ticket. Plus they have a kids snack pack for $2.50 that includes popcorn, a drink and fruit snacks. My family can go and get a snack for my kiddo for $4. It's a great deal!
My library now has Hoopla where you can borrow and stream movies. Since I watch all TV on my laptop, it's good for me!
Our local branch of AAA sells discounted movie passes to members. They have a two ticket and $10 concession pack for $26, which is a good price. Also, some banks and credit unions around here sell discounted passes as well. These specific offers may not be available in all areas, but there might be similar deals. I can also get movie tickets as one option from my credit card points.
I've never used this, but I know many people swear by purchasing discounted gift cards from sites like giftcardgranny.
Also, sign up for your theater chain's rewards program (ours is Regal). Every once in a while, we get a coupon for a concession or even a free ticket!
Checking out movies at the library cost 2$ in my area.
- Netflix : 8$/month
- Popping your own popcorn at home
- Buying DVDs at yard sales
- Keeping your old VHS player!!! ahah, we still have a functional one and get VHS tapes for the kids for 0.50$ at the thrift store.
- Watching movies on Youtube
- Going to the movies on cheap night (tuesdays here, 6$)
- Racking points to exchange for free tickets (Scene card here in Canada)
I thing Costco sells some movie passes for cheaper (??)
I too still have a VCR for hunting down obscure stuff that you just can't find elsewhere. For horror, wrestling, silent and anime fans sometimes VHS is the only option if you want to see a movie.
Just recently I found a copy of the Christmas and Hanukkah episodes of the Canadian TV show "Under the Umbrella Tree." That's certainly never going to be on Netflix so I snatched that up to relive some childhood memories.
Wow. I don't know if I would get movies from the library if they charged for them. I hope it is a money maker for the library. Movies are free at my library but you have to wait a long time on wait lists for popular movies.
A lot of communities, including mine, have free movies in the park in the summer. Different experience from theater or home viewing, but fun! Especially nice with a picnic dinner.
Our library found if they charged people were better at getting them back instead of just renewing. The popular titles had long wait lists. The charge $1 a week.
We kept our VHS tapes, too!
We purchase movie passes at Costco and Sams Club.:)
Borrow from a friend. I have friends who are are huge movie fans and own tons. They are also generous enough to loan us movies because they know we'll take care of them and return them promptly.
Hey Kristen,
Thanks for putting this list together. I go to the movies frequently and this will surely come in handy. I've been thinking of investing in CGX (Cineplex), then have those dividends pay for my movies!
DB
I would say getting a roku or similar device so you can take advantage of the free streaming movies on Amazon prime if you have a non-smart TV. For a $40 investment and no monthly fee, it is a great way to add movies/shows to a TV you don't have hooked up to cable.
Alternate hosting movie night at your home with your neighbors.If someone has a projector it's even better. Set up outside when the weather is good and tell everyone to bring their own bag chair and/or blankets.Also, in my town, they occasionally play a movie on a big screen at the park for free so check out your town's local events. As for the actual theater, we try to eat before we go to the movie so we don't feel hungry or thirsty there. If we do buy snacks I guess it goes with out saying that we all share the popcorn and just pass it back and forth. We share one large drink, too, my family is gross yet thrifty like that.
This is one for going to the movies that my husband and I abide by. If we plan on seeing a movie and paying a higher cost, we always go to the longest movie! We try to get the best bang for our buck. We recently got blessed with a free babysitter for a night over Christmas. We decided on a movie and saw one that was 3 hours!
The Revenant is especially long...and very gory!
Swap! Find out what movies your friends have and swap for a night or each rent one and then swap!
We have an account with vudu.com. It's a digital/streaming site, and you can partner with friends. There are several families in our "co-op" and whenever one person buys a film, it's available for everyone. We have over 1300 movies to choose from on there now, plus dozens of TV shows. It's especially beneficial if you have a friend who buys a lot of movies like we do. I don't know how he does it, but he gets amazing deals. Most recently was The Martian for $5 - he bought it for less than the rental price.
For cheap movies I use UV Grab. I can buy it for what it costs in fuel and time to go to Redbox. If you use this referral link you'll receive 10% discount and I get 15%. Great movies and most under $7
http://uvgrab.refr.cc/GVKRWRQ
We also share these on our Vudu account, and as a bonus I have a projector and screen I got for free. We have movie nights with our daughter! She loves it. And all from the comfort of our couch!
My boyfriend does surveys & questionnaires for google and gets google play cash which can be used for movies. I have a good amount of movies & TV shows from Half Price Books - if you have one be sure to check it out, and check their clearance section for those bad movies you just love, the guilty pleasures, for $1. I recently got a Roku (previously had a Chromecast) and it's absolutely worth it if you stream a lot (which I do - I gave up what little cable I had). You can access channels like PBS for free and others with a cable login from a friend/family member. HBO has a lot of movies, and Roku carries Netflix and Amazon. The great thing about streaming is you can share with people far away, so be sure to share your accounts!
If you're a union member check to see if there are discount tix available. Through the UFT, I pay $75.00 for 10 tix.
We love movies at our house. We go to a full price movie once or twice a year. We do use our regal card and always go at the less expensive time. We also have a cheaper Regal theater. It is $1.50 a ticket. We love this theater and we go more often.
At home we use the library most of the time . We live in a city with a great library system. One thing I haven't hear mentioned is wowbrary. It is a service that libraries use. They send you emails every week with the news things the library has ordered. I use this to put holds on new movies. We get new movies fairly quickly this way. This week we watched The Man from Uncle and Hotel Transylvania 2.
Great list! I also do mystery shopping/theater checks. I basically get paid to go in and report back what the movie trailers were, how loud they were, etc and then I get to stay for the rest of the movie. It's a pretty sweet deal and usually pays for my ticket (free) and then my husband's ticket (with the money I earned) and some snacks (with the money I earned).
Hey! I just did a post about this on my new and fledgling blog 🙂 I use an awesome service calle. Dealflicks, when combined with coupon codes and groupon deals my family can go to the movies for super cheap. Check out my post for more details! http://pennywisenc.com/2016/01/16/saving-money-at-the-movies/
Great minds think alike, right?
Thanks for sharing this! We use Amazon Prime and I didn't know about the option of using slower shipping in exchange for movie credit, or about the Redbox email/texting coupons. We like to go to the nice movie theatre occasionally for extra special movies that we all want to see. Rather than buy expensive movie snacks, we try to plan where we eat either before or after the movie, even if it's eating out, we are still getting more for our money compared to movie snacks. Also, we can get free cups of ice water at our favorite theatre and they hand out these awesome little chocolate mints! Sometimes my husband takes the kids, or just my daughter for a "dad-daughter date", and if they say the movie is good, we may rent it on Redbox later to watch as a family at home.
If any readers live in west Michigan, the Celebration! Cinema group of theaters has Flick's Family Film Festival. These are second-run, family-friendly movies. The series runs for about 5-6 weeks in the fall and 5-6 weeks in the winter. Kids are free with an adult ($5 for the adult).
Our local library will often show a second-run movie for free, popcorn included, with an adult accompanying the kids. And our cheap theater has different pricing on different nights--Mondays are $2, Tuesdays are $3, the rest of the week is $4. There are other free movie options, as well--I find it helpful to check our local "what to do this weekend" newspaper online, especially over Christmas break and during the summer.
I admit I am spoiled. My workplace gives every employee 2 free movie passes and $2 coupon toward concessions every year for Christmas. My son and I got to see Star Wars by using those. 🙂
I tend to purchase DVD's of movies which I know we will watch again and again--I wait till they are out for about a year--I have picked up a lot of them for $5 new.
So many good ideas! My son-in-law has a Netflix account and he lets me use it for free. I'm a big classic movie fan, and friends sometimes give me classic movies on DVD, which are often quite cheap, as gifts. When I have watched them enough, I pass them on or sell them. Our local theater has a matinee price and a snack deal which is pretty cheap, but still, we go very rarely. By "we", I mean my daughters, granddaughter, or a friend and me. My husband cannot stand to sit and watch movies and has seen very few in his life. I tell him he's so strange!
Lots of movies are available for streaming if you are already on Amazon Prime. And if you choose to "rent" an Amazon movie via streaming that's not on Prime it only costs a few dollars and the whole family can watch.
Amazon Prime is great, but we find that for pennies more or even cheaper we can buy the UV codes and own them.
Whenever I go to the movies, whether full price of discounted, I first buy a gift card at Safeway for that theater chain---especially during the times you get four points for every dollar spent on gift cards at Safeway, you can rack up gas points that later reduces your gas price. It gives me a little extra bang for my buck. (Not that much, as we only go to the movies for a big screen type movie...but every penny counts.)
First off, I love the Regal $1 summer movie thing - for years we did that. in Central Texas where summers are HOT it was worth $1 to sit and watch a movie in air conditioning on someone else's electric bill dime. It didn't matter that it was an "old" movie to my kids - I had four of them so it was about the only time we went when they were small. Don't judge me, but we always made a pit stop to Walgreen's for a treat to hide in mama's purse. (: Secondly, Redbox is awesome - codes abound. And lastly, Netflix: such a great value. Science, family movies, documentaries...something for everyone at less than $12 a month. Total WIN.
My husband donates blood at United Blood services, and in return he earns points that can be redeemed for free movie tickets (among other things). The really nice thing is that there are no exclusions, so we can see blockbusters like The Force Awakens opening weekend (which we did!). If you're not squeamish about blood/needles, you can help save lives AND see free movies :).
Does smuggling food into the movie theatre in your jacket pocket count?
Our library does family movie night 2 times a month for free. They are usually the newest movies out on DVD. In the summer they do free movies for kids as part of the reading program. Free popcorn, bring a closed container beverage. Also the town has movies in the park weekly for family. Free popcorn with that too. They have other concessions for sale as town project fund raiser. Last year's was the miracle field and playground.
I am a Netflix girl, maybe it's something to do with the fact that I am very lazy! The local library here doesn't have a great selection of DVDs, so I prefer Netflix.
When we actually go to the movies (not often, it's expensive and a 45 minute drive away) I find that the food often costs more than the tickets. So we bring out own sweets and popcorn. No all cinemas allow this, but ours does.
Great blog!
We are lucky enough to live in a metro area, so we have many thrift stores within a 30 mile radius. When I am out thrifting, I always browse the DVD section, as they are vast in each store. I have purchased some fun and classic movies for less than $4 each, sometimes as low as $1.49. If we don't want the clutter of the extra movies, we ask family and friends if they want them, if not then we re-donate them, it is still cheaper than going to the movies for 1, nevermind what it would cost for my family of 7. Just make sure you open the case and check for scratches on both sides of DVD before purchasing.
AMC theaters offers discounted rates if you go to the movies before 12 noon. I typically go then because it's usually less busy and hey cheaper. I bring my own snacks since I have to be cautious of my diabetes. I also have Hulu,amazon prime and Netflix. I use the library when I remember. I love the movies.
American family kids day features movies at Marcus for 2 each at 10 am in selected months.