If you love the movies, Saturday is your day. A movie ticket is going to cost less than your popcorn.
In honor of National Cinema Day, most national theater chains are dropping the price of all movies to only $3.
It’s the latest creative promotion to get people back into theater seats as the box office competes with countless streaming services.
For Elaine Johnson and her family, it was a perfect day to head to the movie theater as it is also her son’s birthday.
“We tried to price out the movie theater and the popcorn and everything,” said Johnson. “Just us, we’re a family of 5, so us alone is about $100.”
As entertainment expert Dave Karger said, it may not reverse trends long term, but it is a good value for families looking for something to do during the long weekend.
“I don't think this $3 movie day is going to magically fix this problem,” said Karger. “I still think movie tickets are going to be down compared to pre-pandemic levels. But I do think this promotion is going to remind a lot of people that going to the movies is as fun today as it was in 2019.”
On Saturday morning, the promotion seemed to work as movie buffs grabbed their popcorn and flocked local theaters.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a big home screen but here you have that gigantic screen in front of you and you’re engulfed by it and it kind of pulls you into the film much better that way,” said moviegoer, Todd Vandenberg.
Most theaters in WPTV’s viewing area are participating. You can check them out by clicking here.