When it comes to seeing a movie on the cheap, 
you’ve got quite a few options:
- Track down your local dollar theatre. Ours is closer to $2 these days, but once a week, they drop the price to $0.75/ticket.
- Check your chains for their cheap seat times. As always, details & participation vary by location. That said, I’ve seen deals to save 50% at AMC Theatres before noon & Value Days tickets at Regal.
- Prefer to buy discount tickets so that you have more flexibility when you go? You can often find AMC Gold Experience four-ticket packs on Goldstar, dropping your ticket price to about $7.50 each. You’ll need to register to get the deal (it’s free to sign up), but once you do, search the site for AMC to find it if it’s available. The tickets can be redeemed nationwide. Also, Saveology often offers movie ticket deals on its “National” deals page. If you spot it, act quickly, as quantities are limited and it often sells out.
- And
you can buy discount movie tickets via Entertainment. You’ve got a couple of options: You can buy the book & get access to both the online extras & the in-book coupons, or you can buy the online-only version of the Entertainment book.
- To save on concessions, follow Regal Entertainment Group on Facebook. During certain times of the year, they distribute weekly coupons for things like $1 popcorn or $2 nachos. And if you join the Regal Crown Club (still free as of March 2012), you can get earn points for free concessions & tickets + take advantage of $2 candy & popcorn days. AMC’s Stubs rewards program will cost you a bit to signup, but you can rack up points to earn free concessions & tickets. And they periodically offer in-theatre membership deals that’ll save you 50% when you join AMC Stubs. During Carmike’s Super Stimulus Tuesdays, you can snag $1 popcorn, $1 drinks, & more.
- To save even more on your at-the-theatre purchases, check the
gift card buy/sell/trade sites, like PlasticJungle.com and GiftCards.com. You can save up to 35% on gift cards to movie theaters (I’ve seen AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas, Fandango & more), and shipping is often free, too. Since you’re buying an actual gift card, you can stack your discounts by using the gift card on deal days.
- Worth noting: In February, AMC Theatres tend to host a Best Picture Showcase. You can marathon-watch the Best Picture nominees on the cheap + save on concessions while you’re there.
And movie-related freebies & deals pop up throughout the year, so be sure to subscribe to email updates, follow @citiescheap on Twitter, or like Cities on the Cheap on Facebook, or add us to a Google+ circle to save even more.
