Your Family Really Can See A Movie Without Spending a Fortune

Even with the popularity of streaming media and the convenience of watching movies at home, there’s nothing like catching the latest movie in the big theaters while munching on some good ol’ buttered popcorn. However, movie watching for families of 4 or more, does not come cheap. In addition to the ticket prices, there’s the unavoidable call of the concession stand that is very much a part of the movie experience. Now how do we continue such family traditions without burning a hole through our pockets?

Have no fear, KAG has pooled all of our movie watching ideas and gathered them in one spot for you.

money saving tips for movies

Save money at the movies

Let’s start with the summer highlights: Dollar Deals and Free Screenings

Summer is the best time to see movies with the family. Not only is cool and comfortable inside the theater, but most theaters roll out their special deals. Pay attention Greenville, don’t miss this comprehensive list of  dollar deals, free screenings and free outdoor movies.

But what about discounted movies all year long?

We did some digging and also asked KAG readers. In addition to the usual money saving movie watching tactics as going to a matinee show, theater loyalty awards, early-bird discounts and availing of special discounts given to student, senior, AAA and military card holders, here’s what we found:

Go for a drive

Aside from the novelty of an old fashioned drive-in movie, an hour away is the historic Sunset Drive In Theater which charges $12 per carload, you can bring outside food and sometimes wear costumes to the movies(hello Star Wars fans!).

Go Clubbing (Price Club that is)

If you’re a warehouse club member such as Costco and Sam’s Club, you can purchase tickets at a discount. Just head to the customer service to inquire. Also, do check their gift cards where sometimes you might score a pack of Movie.com gift cards at 25% off their ticket value.

Groupons and Coupons

All it takes is an email and you get access to coupon codes for Movie.com. If you get addicted to coupons, consider dedicating an email address just for this. There are numerous coupon sites that will give you discounts on tickets or concessions.

Sign up for Moviepass.com

Though recent news hasn’t been so good for this business venture, Moviepass is the ultimate deal for the avid cinema goer. At a monthly cost of $9.95, you have access to unlimited movies with a limit to one movie per day. Check their website for details.

Your Movie deal is in the cards

A wonderful enterprise for unused gift cards has just made movie watching easier. Check out gift card reselling sites such as Gift Card Granny, Card Pool and Card Cash to get discounted gift cards that you can use at AMC, Regal, Movie.com and Fandango. Last we checked, Gift Card Granny had Movie.com gift cards at 18% discount.

Shop and get Free Movie tickets

Current Deals

Buy 3 General Mills Cereal Boxes= 1 Fandango movie ticket to see upcoming Star Wars SOLO

We dropped by Walmart at Woodruff road to verify this deal. Indeed, you can buy 3 boxes of participating General Mills cereal and exchange those codes for a Fandango movie ticket. Make sure the promo is on the cereal box before you buy (limit of 5 Fandango promotional codes per person).

At the Theater

We are Regal Crown members of Regal Cinemas which offers concession discounts on specific days and a free third IMAX ticket for 2 IMAX tickets purchased. Regal Cinemas is a free membership. Some have paid memberships like AMC. Check frequency of your movie binging vs. membership cost. AMC offers $5 for every $50 spent.

The Popcorn Dilemna

To buy or not to buy that tub of popcorn. If you are a loyal member of that theater, chances are you will get free popcorn. If you’d like to take those savings even further, some members bring their refillable cups and divvy up the tub of popcorn. In our theater, they are so used to families sharing a giant tub of popcorn that they offer trays to portion out the popcorn. Some savvy moms even bring their own paper bags or plastic cups to contain the mess.

Donate Blood get a Free Movie Ticket

We had to see it to believe it. We didn’t actually get to donate blood but as we were doing research about special deals in Walmart, parked right outside was the The Blood Connection Bus. If you want to check where their next blood drive will be, visit the website.

We hope you enjoyed this list and never pay full price for movie tickets again. Keep us posted for any movie saving tips and deals! Now go, relax and see a movie!

Do you have a tip for saving money at the movies to add to our list?

About the Author
A Greenville transplant, Anna, is a former fundraiser for art museums and charities in NY and NJ. Before heading south, her husband's job brought them to Pune, Shanghai and her hometown, Manila. She and her family are happy to settle in Greenville and enjoy hiking the beautiful parks of the Upstate, visiting museums and historic places, and last but not least, hunting for the best BBQ in town.

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