With Pokémon: Detective Pikachu ready to hit theaters this weekend, I’m sure a lot of anime and game fans will be going to the movies soon. But between the tickets and the concessions, it can be an expensive day out. So here are some ways to save money next time you are planning to head to the theater!
Sign up for theater rewards programs.
I’ve advocated before to sign up for store emails for coupons and stuff, and for theaters, it’s no exception. Most chains allow you to sign up for free, but some like AMC and Emagine have paid options as well for better benefits. Each has their own perks, but common ones include:
- Free concession(s) on your birthday and/or with signup
- Earn points for free concessions or tickets
- Offers for discounted concessions or tickets
For a lot of these memberships, all you need is a phone number and/or email, so signing up is easy. Most of the time, the savings are worth the short amount of time spent joining even if you don’t go out to the theater very often. If you do go out more often, considering paying for the better tiers.
There’s also other programs like MoviePass (1 movie a day for $20 a month) and AMC’s A-List (3 movies a week for ~$20 a month) if you’re a big moviegoer. Warning: MoviePass has had some financial difficulties, and rival Sinemia has recently shut down, leaving customers in a lurch.
Try going at non-prime time.
Some people think of going to the movies as a Friday/Saturday night thing, but if you can, consider going on different days or earlier in the day. Most theaters have matinee pricing which, depending on the chain, may go until as late as 6 PM, so you can save a few bucks by going right after school/work instead of in the evening.
Tuesdays are considered slow business days, and several chains offer discounts on that day to boost sales. AMC Theaters, for instance, has tickets for just $5 all day on Tuesdays as long as you have a free Stubs membership, and AT&T/DirecTV customers can get a second ticket free with purchase of a ticket on Tuesdays. T-mobile sometimes has $4 movie offers on Tuesdays as well. Tuesdays may not be an option if you’re the type to go see movies on opening night previews or opening day, but if you don’t mind not being first, wait and save money.
Look for online ticket deals.
Places like Fandango and Atom Tickets usually charge a fee, but they allow you to guarantee tickets and, in some theaters, allow you to choose your seats in advance. However, you can avoid the ~$1.50 per ticket fee in many cases by being a part of a theater chain’s loyalty program.
Still, while that’s nice, you want to save money, not spend more. Sometimes Fandango and/or Atom Tickets offer deals like buy one get one free or $5 off 2 or more tickets, so you can still come out ahead even with the fee. Or with some promotions, you may not have to worry about the fee at all. Unfortunately, many of these deals only apply to certain movies, so you are not going to find specials on AAA movies very often.
In addition, not all theaters participate in online ticketing, but for those that do, it also provides an easy way to check prices. You might want to go to a movie theater with less frills or a little further away to save some money.
Participate in free ticket promotions.
Have you ever been to a store and seen an endcap of older DVDs/Blu-rays with a little sticker saying, “Get a free ticket to (insert movie here) with purchase!”? Well, a lot of times, it’s cheaper to buy these movies than to buy a movie ticket. So you pay $5-7 for a DVD/Blu-ray, but you end up getting a voucher for up to $7-9 off a ticket plus a disc you can watch or give away. This offer is very popular when a sequel movie is about to come out, and most of the time, it just involves sending a text or entering a code.
But if you don’t see these stickers in the movie aisle, never fear! Other products have similar offers. Here’s one that is currently going on:
Combine this with a store sale and manufacturer’s coupon, and you may spend ~$5 for some baggies plus a movie ticket. Other products I’ve seen this type of offer on include soda, cereal, and shampoo. Just keep your eyes peeled next time you’re at the store or Google for free ticket offers.
Note that a lot of times, like in Ziploc example, the offer is advertising a certain movie, but it will work on any film. Most also allow multiple submissions per household address, so can get more than one free ticket with qualifying purchase. Just check the terms.
In addition, if you participate in other rewards programs like Disney Movie Rewards, My Coke Rewards, and Kellogg’s Family Rewards, you can redeem points for free tickets and concessions. Even if you don’t buy these normally, they often have free codes you can enter to help build up your stash.
Buy discounted gift cards.
Another tip I’ve suggested before. But movie tickets are rather easy to find discounts on since you can look for gift cards from the theater chain itself and/or online ticket venues like Fandango and Atom. You can look for gift card sales at stores like Best Buy and Costco or online like at Raise. Theaters themselves will often run promotions like $10 concession cash with a $50 gift card purchase, especially near holidays. You could get 20% off the face value, so that $10 ticket or popcorn combo now costs you $8. Stack this with other offers listed above to save even more.