Going to the movies with the family is a treat for any child. But with the cost of the movies growing, our family finds we treat movies as a special treat for birthdays or some other special occasion. But yesterday, as we were planning to go, we remember another way to bring the cost down.
A lot of the time in today’s society we are paying for convenience. My family has two sets of movie theaters within 3 miles of us, and another at 6 miles. But the cost at these locations is high, high and higher, so we don’t go that often. Also, our oldest son is now 14, so we are paying for 3 adult tickets.
Yesterday we returned home from a mini vacation a day early, and had some extra money, so we decided to treat ourselves to a trip to the movies. We had the day free since we had returned home early, and had the extra money, so we decided to go for it.
But while deciding what to see, we thought about the discount theaters we used to go to. The main one we used to frequent is now closed, but there was a second one a little farther away and out of our normal stomping grounds. We looked it up, and, sure enough, it was still open. Sure, it is about 15 miles away, but that is not that bad a drive to save a minimum of $20.
Sure, at these locations you are not seeing the movies as soon as they are out, but we haven’t been able to go to the movies for almost a year anyway, so we almost never see anything as soon as it is out. We are still getting to watch it before it comes out on DVD, and are having the fun of going to the movies with the family.
We went to see The Green Lantern in 3D. It cost up $5 apiece. We shared a large drink. We almost always do this at the theater, since the large items get free refills. We shared a large popcorn. Again, we usually do this also since we can get a free refill. No buying overpriced hot dogs or candy.
The total cost of watching a 3D movie came in at $34. Before we got there, we were a little disappointed at the $5 price tag, since we remember going to this theater when the price was $2. But then we were reminded it was 3D, and we received the cool glasses. The prices of current run 3D movies are $16 for adults and $13 for kids. We paid $5 apiece. This gave us a savings on this trip of over $40 for our family of four.
While I am sure the prices of the regular features are lower, the savings might not be as dramatic, but will still be enough to make the drive worthwhile.
I am sure that some of you will be reading this and realize that you know this information, but when is the last time you remembered it and used it. As I said, my wife and I used to frequent the discount movie houses, but time slipped by and we forgot about them. Maybe if we used them more, others would open up and we could movies cheaper.
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