Back in the old days, before most of us (including me) remember, people had to go out to see a movie. It was an experience, and a common form of entertainment. Do that today, and it could end up being a costly experience.
At the local theatres, it’s about $10 a ticket for going out to the movies at night. Let’s say there are two of you going out – that makes it $20 just on tickets. While you’re there, you might get tempted to get a bag of popcorn, candy, or a soft drink. Each of those will likely set you back another $2 to $5, based on what you’re buying. All told, it’s easy to spend $25 for two people to go out to the movies, at many theatres.
Admittedly, I do like to go out to the movies. It’s fun to go out and get a real theatre experience, with the requisite big screen and high quality sound. I don’t go very often these days, maybe a few times a year. It’s enjoyable to go, but there are other options for watching movies, and I’ve taken to a few of them.
Here are some lower cost alternatives to paying full price at the movies:
Matinee Performances
That same $10 full-price movie might be, oh, say $7.50 for a matinee showing. Sure, you’ll have to go earlier in the day, thus taking away from the traditional “night out at the movies” experience. But hey, for two of you that’s $5 saved. The way my mind works, is taking that $5, multiplying it by an annual rate of return of 8%, and you will have an extra $34 after 25 years. So see, it can be worth it to see a matinee! 🙂
Discount Theatres
Sometimes, you can go see movies for less money by going to a low budget place. Some of these are actually pretty decent. I recently went to a place that offered new releases, for much lower price. I believe we paid $6 per ticket for a prime time show. Now, the theatre is much older, without many of the niceties of more modern venues. However, it’s a good option for going out to see a newer movie while paying less.
I know there’s a place within a 30 minute drive from where I live that offers $2 movies. Haven’t been there, but someone who has told me that it was totally worth it. For many of us, these options do exist. We just have to seek them out – and many times, be pleasantly surprised!
Drive-in Movies
If you really want to go old school, you could do this. Aside from theatres, this was another venue of several generations ago. Not far from where I live, there’s a drive-in that offers showings for less than what you’d pay at a traditional indoor venue. I believe they’re in the $5 to $8 range. Anyway, it’s a way to save a few bucks and more importantly get a different experience.
Netflix
Speaking to the streaming plan, for $8 you can watch unlimited movies. Clearly, despite recent controversy, this option is very popular. Netflix accounts for a staggering percentage of internet bandwith, recently noted at 32% of U.S. downstream traffic at peak times. I’ve enjoyed the unlimited option with Netflix to some extent, as it’s convenient and super low cost. However, you likely won’t be getting the newest, most popular current movies with this plan from what I’ve experienced. Something to consider.
Cable
With my provider, newer movies cost about $5 to watch. It’s convenient, as you just push a few buttons and you get to watch a movie. That seems too high to me, and I’d say that there are better alternatives. However, it’s clearly cheaper than going out to the movies.
Redbox
Around here, these kiosks are seemingly everywhere. At $1 per day for a regular DVD rental – or $1.50 per day for BluRay – this is a good, low cost option for people who are on the go. I’ve enjoyed Redbox, and it’s a good way to get a movie for a very low cost. As long as you know you can return it the next day, and don’t have to go out of the way to visit the kiosk, it seems like a good alternative.
Purchasing DVDs Online
I, for one, love thriller movies and when I find a good one, I like to watch it numerous times. As a result, I find that purchasing DVDs online makes sense, since I can often find much lower prices than traditional retailers. Of course, this is also much cheaper than going to the movies, so I can simply invite friends or my date over to my house to enjoy a selection from my DVD collection. Having these DVDs on hand at all times means that I can watch my favorite movies without having to leave the house.
Library
This is my current favorite alternative. For the cost of – well, nothing – you can check out a movie for up to a week at the local library here. The selection is actually pretty good. Of course the free concept is hard to beat, but I also like that you generally have some time to watch the movie. One downside is that the movies get viewed quite a bit, so the DVDs might not always operate perfectly. Or, at least one recent one I rented skipped a couple times. But most of the time, they’re totally fine – and all of the time, they’re free! As long as they’re not overdue, anyway! 🙂
There are plenty of other options: Amazon, Apple iTunes, Vudu, and Blockbuster. With the latter, they’re still around with some varied options, though I think it’s interesting how Blockbuster might have been the first option if an article like this would have been written a decade ago. Now, it’s almost a footnote here.
My Questions for You
What’s your current favorite way to watch movies?
How often do you go out to a theatre to see movies?
Library is unmatched, followed by redbox with code. Don’t want to spend money on things available for free somewhere. Occasional moving going should be acceptable to include fun in your life.
SB – redbox with code…never knew about the code aspect. I’ll have to look that up. And yes, I wholeheartedly agree that occasional movie going, if it brings fun and is important to someone, should happen.
Redbox with a code is a viable option, however, you can only use the code once. You have to get a new one everytime–or at least a different payment option. I use Netflix. My fiancee uses it the most..ha. If we do go to the movies it is rare and we both would rather go to a matinee and bring our own hidden food than spend exorbitant amounts on their tiny portions.
Jon – ah, the hidden food trick. Like it!
I think that Redbox may have raised the price during the whole Durbin Amendment thing (or at least by using that as their cover). Occupy Redbox Kiosks!
Do you have any experience with Hulu Plus? I’ve got Amazon Prime right now.
PKamp3 – how do you like Amazon Prime? I know about Hulu Plus and have read about it, but haven’t tried it.
I love going out to the movies as well! But with Jr., that’s out. But we are considering Drive-ins! Hopefully, that’ll work for us! 🙂
MoneyCone – out to the movies is fun, absolutely. Drive-ins are a novelty that can be a lot of fun as a treat. On a regular basis, I’m not sure I’d do it. But as a novelty, it can be fun!
My most recent movie selection was Blackhawk Down which I borrowed from the library. Since it is Veteran’s Day it’s a good time promote the movie to remind us of the service and sacrifice our military and their families make.
Generally when the mood strikes I find a movie on t.v. Can’t tell you how many times I have laughed at 50 First Dates and The Proposal. And, there are so many movies I have enjoyed on the Lifetime channel. Some of my Christmas favorites will soon be coming up.
Carol – you know, great point on TV. I saw a movie within the last week or two, Cobra (1986, Stallone) that I remember hearing about as a kid but never watching. I got drawn into it, which rarely happens to me. And, best part: free!
All good suggestions. My wife and I often go for matinee shows.
Tushar – Matinees are a great way to get the movie theatre experience without paying full price.
The library is my favorite too. Before we had our baby, we liked matinee because it’s less busy. I don’t like it when the theater is full, it’s just too crowded and noisy.
retirebyforty – yes, kids can end the ability to go out to the movies. Unless a family member is nearby and willing to help for a few hours. The library is great.
I use group discount tickets. The retail adult ticket in Los Angeles is $11.75. I qualify for the senior ticket of $9.75, but I buy group discount ticket for $6 each.
Krantcents – group discount? Do you mean buying in bulk, or purchasing at a discount through an organization? With respect to bulk-ish purchases, I bought a 6-ticket pack for $50 in the last few years, which saved $10 off regular priced tickets (divided by 6 of course).
I do like going out to the movies, but don’t like to do it that often. We go out about once a month on average, but I think I’d prefer once every couple of months. I like to go to the last matinee. That way (at least in the winter) you go in when it’s still light out but come out in the dark. Mostly though, we watch stuff from Netflix which is nice because then we can pause it whenever we want.
Jackie – I like that seasonal trick you’re suggesting, it’s clever. See a matinee in the winter and come out when it’s dark, then it feels like a regular movie.
Absolutely love the library! I just found out how big of a movie selection my local library has – definitely happy that I got rid of netflix now!
20’s Finances – the library is a nice option, isn’t it? As long as the DVDs are in good shape!
The library is out of the way for us, so normally it’s the Encore movie package that comes with cable. I’ll periodically scour the show schedule, and record movies that we want to watch on the DVR. Occasionally we’ll get a recently released film. The only downside is the heavy rotation that gets old quick.
101C – well, if the library is out of the way (or has a mediocre selection/older movies), there are certainly a few other good options. Looks like you’ve found one that works for you.
I would also throw out Costco – you can buy discounted tickets, and also check with your employer. I get $5 AMC tickets through my benefits program.
Robert – good additions. I actually hadn’t thought of Costco. What can’t someone get there?
Although I do watch most movies on DVD I like to actually go the theater fairly often. We have a local discount theater that is a pretty nice facility and has $1 admissions on Tuesdays. Combining that with their lower concessions prices it is a much cheaper option than the regular movie theater.
Andy – $1 admission is hard to beat.
I wonder how much trouble ill get into if I say I watch movies online. 🙂 Just kidding, I am super picky about what I watch. These days the only movies I watch are the ones that they play on airplanes.
We have Netflix streaming and have recently begun using the library again. We do go to the movies about 4 or 5 times a year but it’s usually for something one of us really, really wants to see or we want to take our daughter. We did purchase Groupons for movie tickets earlier this year and that has saved a ton of money!
Jana – good point on Groupon, I can see how that could be a nice way to save some money, if a deal comes along!
The Wife has been on an ordering from Cable Kick when we do pay for movies (not very often)…I try to push the HBO on demand. We did have netflix until we realized they had zero on streaming and we would hold the dvds for weeks.
In college The Wife worked for the student activities club and she got BOOKS filled with free movie passes, we didn’t pay for a movie until 2 or 3 years after college lol