The Outrageous Cost of Movie Tickets
Last Friday, for the first time in a long while, I went and saw a new movie in theaters (Ironman, which was definitely an entertaining, if not lighthearted, movie), and I was somewhat shocked at the amount of money simply buying a ticket cost – $10.75 for an adult ticket, with no student ticket option, and that was before any sort of concessions.
Now, I realize that ticket prices are inevitably going to creep up, if for no other reason than inflation — looking at Box Office Mojo’s list of ticket prices by year adjusted for inflation helps illustrate the extent of this creep, though (As an aside, if you are interested in the economics of movie theaters, you might want to check out a pretty interesting article from Slate, “The Popcorn Palace Economy” by Edward Jay Epstein). Since 2000, ticket prices have gone up a little over 25%, to a current estimated average price of $6.88 for the year. That is a pretty significant increase in price. What can we do?
Do you need to see it in the theater?
The obvious way to save money on movie theater tickets is to simply not go. Over at the Get Rich Slowly blog, Kevin at No Debt Plan recently had a post “Dumb Money: The Movie Theater,” assailing the movie theater experience as largely a waste of money (as opposed to seeing movies at home), listing a variety of ways where movie going is an inconvenient and sometimes unpleasant experience.
If you’re willing to forgo the theater experience for your own living room, its not hard to see how microwaving your own popcorn and loading a DVD can save money. Some tips for saving while renting:
- If you watch movies often, give Netflix a try. I have been a subscriber for years, and have nothing but positive experiences. I stick with the 1 DVD at-a-time for $8.99 a month plan (so for the price of one movie ticket, you can get a good four or five movies a month).
- If you don’t watch movies often, check your public library. My public library offers movie rentals for only a dollar or two. While the selections are often limited, libraries are often quite receptive to suggestions for new acquisitions. (Better yet, you could read a book…)
- You can also check out Redbox, the new DVD kiosk service, which offers DVDs for $1 a night. The kiosks aren’t everywhere, and they often have a limited selection, but for new releases Redbox is a great option. Plus, with creative Google searches, you can often find coupons for free rentals.
- Try to avoid renting from major chains - at my local Blockbuster, it costs almost $5 to rent a movie, which is simply absurd. Try to find a local family-owned rental store, which often have cheaper prices and much better service.
Coincidentally, Mike over at Living the Frugal Life recently posted “Never pay to rent a movie again“, which has a much more extensive list focusing on getting free movies (one recommendation that Mike didn’t include - Hulu.com, which now includes some free movies in addition to their growing selection of free television shows).
If you need to see it in theaters…
While I understand and appreciate the arguments for avoiding movie theaters, sometimes it is just too hard to resist seeing a new movie in theaters, especially one that is generating a lot of buzz and excitement — it is never fun to be culturally out of the loop (I fully plan on seeing Indiana Jones 4 in theaters, for example). Plus, there is something to be said for the movie experience. So, if you absolutely must see a movie in theaters, here are some cost-saving steps that can help mitigate the blow from ticket prices:
- Learn when tickets are discounted - many movie theaters still have some sort of matinee discount (often for shows before 5:00 or 6:00 PM), student discounts, or senior citizen discounts. Matinee discounts vary by theater, so its best to try to find out in advance.
- Check if your theater chain has a rewards program - Some theaters offer rewards like free popcorn or movie tickets for frequent patronage. AMC Theaters, for example, has the free MovieWatcher program — over the years I’ve earned several free tickets and concessions.
- Use a credit card that rewards movie theater ticket purchases - Even 1% back on a normal rewards card can help, but certain cards are better than others for entertainment purchases. For students in particular, I highly recommend the Citi mtvU card, which offers (effectively) 5% back at movie theaters (in addition to restaurants and bookstores).
- Go to the theater on a full stomach - if you eat dinner or a snack beforehand, you’ll be less inclined to need to purchase concessions at the movie theater.
- Order less: no ice and sharing popcorn - If you do have to order food, consider sharing popcorn rather than ordering individual bags. If you need to get a drink, get a small and ask for no ice — without the ice, its almost the same amount of soda as the next size up, and its not like your drink will get cold in during the two hour movie!
- Resist the upsell - Again, if you absolutely must order concessions, decide what size you are going to get (small!) before reaching the front of the line, and hold firm — do you really need a large instead of a medium for an extra 50 cents?
- Buy discount tickets in advance - This is probably one of the best ways to save money on movie tickets if you can plan ahead. I’ve seen these discounts offered all over the place — from the Entertainment Book, the AAA group, a building concierge, random websites, etc. I often order these through the Entertainment book website. Most of these offers allow you to order several tickets in advance for theater chains like AMC, Cinemark, National Amusements, Regal Cinemas, Loews, etc. Using this method, you can often get tickets for $5-$7 - saving somewhere around $3! (Note that these often cannot be used for opening week, for example. Check restrictions before buying!).
Finally, it helps to be aware of promotions that movie theaters sometimes are running. For example:
- AMC Theaters offers its “A.M.Cinema” program, where on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays before noon, you can watch new movies for under $6.00.
- Both Cinemark and AMC Theaters offer children movies at dirt cheap prices at certain times over the summer. Cinemark’s Summer Movie Clubhouse offers ten weeks of kids films weekday mornings changing every week for $1 a movie or $5 for all ten. AMC’s Summer Movie Camp offers $1.00 movies every Wednesday at 10 a.m. this summer.
Anyone else have any tips for dealing with the high cost of movies?
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Thanks for the linkage… I can’t stand to go to the theater anymore. I love watching movies at home… so much better!
Second-run movie theatres are also great if you really want to see something on the big screen. There is a place in my city which costs $2 per ticket, and $1 for all snacks. We go every few months.
Canadian, you’re absolutely right that second-run movie theaters can be a great value in many cases — I used to love the one that was nearby me, however, the prices have been rising significantly to the point where I’ve started to question whether its not a better idea just to wait another month or two and rent it on DVD.
The main problem with second-run movie theaters, of course, is that you have to wait for a movie to make it there! Sometimes I just don’t have the patience– a frugality sin, for sure.