sean dreilinger / flickr
A couple weeks ago, my sister begged me to take her to watch “Eclipse” and I caved. Since I wasn’t interested in the movie, the last thing I wanted to do was spend a bunch of money, so I decided to try an independent theater near my area.
I paid $6.50 for a matinee showing. Score! Nowadays, the cost of movie tickets is steep but with some simple changes you can save money when going to the movies. Here’s how:
Think independent. I’m not suggesting you go by yourself. Find local independent theaters and frequent them for their low prices. The theater I went to is small and only has three screens but it was clean and had an old Hollywood vibe to it.
Go to a matinee. The easiest way to save money and avoid the crowds is to head to the movie theater in the morning and not during peak days like Friday and Saturday. Make sure to check the times your local movie theater considers matinees as it varies from theater to theater.
Avoid the concession stand. These days, popcorn is more expensive than movie tickets. Instead bring your own snacks. Many of our Bargain Babe Facebook friends confessed to sneaking in snacks to save money. I’ve done the same.
Use the student, senior, and military discount. Many theaters offer discounted prices to students, seniors, and military personnel so make sure to present your ID at the box office to get a discount.
Head to Costco. Not only can you buy a year’s worth of toilet paper but you can get cheaper movie tickets. I bought two tickets for $15.49 for the Regal Cinemas chain that I will use to watch “Inception.” The cashier told me the warehouse also sells AMC tickets for a couple cents more.
Clip coupons. Another friend, Kristin, said she buys Entertainment Books when they are discounted (the books are currently going for $10-$15 for 2010) and clips coupons to get cheap movie tickets. Movie tickets cost $5 to $6 with the Entertainment Book.
Buy in bulk. If you’re loyal to a theater, take advantage of their rewards program. AMC Theaters’ AMC MovieWatcher Rewards offers two points per ticket purchased and you can receive free concessions or tickets for every 10 points earned. The Regal Cinemas’ Regal Crown Club awards one point per $1 spent. When you rack up 120 points, you can redeem them for a free ticket. Other theaters send special offers to members.
Avoid reservation sites. Buy online and you’ll end up paying more for your tickets. Movietickets.com has a $1 surcharge and Fandango.com tacks on $.75 to $1.50 per ticket, depending on the area.
Get a free ticket to a TV show instead. BargainBabe.com blogger Bobbi previously shared about a dozen tips for getting hooked up with free TV show tickets.
Sign up with Film Metro. It’s free and they will send you invites to movie screenings. At college campuses, there are often people offering free movie passes for screenings.
How do you save money when going to the movies?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
Another site to sign up for is The Screening Exchange (I think it maybe similar to Film Metro). They will send you invites to movie screenings. Here is a link to their website: http://www.thescreeningexchange.com/ee/
well dont forget arclight they cost more but there card gives you free tix or credit to the snacks they got carmel popcorn and when you buy online its a buck cheeper and get to pick you seats so you and your friends are going to sit together not get there early and looking for seats together and the screening exchange does early releases to see what needs to be changed and stuff bad arts you gotta get there hours early they fill up fast and no phones you gotta leave them in the car and they search you your bag and metal dector still gotta pay to park and some of the movies suck but some are good
Yazmin what about my suggestion about sneaking into movies 🙂
Since I’m a senior, I can see movies at the Laemmle Theaters for $4.50 matinees on Wednesdays. They also have the best popcorn anywhere, so we usually indulge in a large popcorn, which can be refilled once for free! First showings at the AMC (at least the one in Woodland Hills) are $6.00, and most of us have their Rewards card. The Regal Theaters, at least a couple of them in Simi Valley, are only $3.00, and the Century 8 in North Hollywood has $5, $5.50 and $6.00 rates all weekdays.
@Adolfo ~ Thought sneaking into movies went out once one got through junior high school!
@EllieD Sounds like you’ve scoped out all the local bargain movie theaters – nice work!
Lol it comes back in style when I’m broke.
I just love a man with a good sense of humor. Good luck with your endeavors at the movies!
@Christina Thanks for the link. I’ll make sure to check it out.
@tracy I’ve never been to screenings I didn’t want to see. Think about it this way, if the movie sucked, at least you didn’t have to pay for it.
@EllieD I’m so jealous of the discounts you get. I usually get the student discount but it’s only 50 cents to a dollar – not much at all. BTW, I haven’t had to sneak in yet.
@Adolfo EllieD is right, you are too funny. I didn’t forget about your suggestion. I actually want to write a post just on this topic since others suggested it as well. I’ve never sneaked in… maybe I’m just not cool enough.
AAA offices also sell discount movie tickets.
Ok, I have to say this: We pack our own goodies! Thank goodness for oversize purses! But we occasionally do buy the popcorn – just nothing like movie theater popcorn!!!
Great tips! For ideas on how you can take charge of your health care costs, check out Whatstherealcost.org