The summer movie season officially starts today, and we can all agree on the best way to go about enjoying it: with George Clooney, in the private screening room of his fabulous villa on Lake Como in Italy.
OK, who’s up for tips on the second best way to enjoy it? The next three months will feature plenty of cinematic blockbusters — from “Marvel’s The Avengers” to “The Amazing Spider-Man” to “The Bourne Legacy.”
And plenty of sharp elbows, as everyone seems to be angling for the same limited number of opening weekend tickets, parking spots in the multiplex lot and napkins for wiping away the butter from their $8 tubs of popcorn.
Add in the high cost of tickets — up to $11-$11.25 at prime times in metro Atlanta — and chances are good you’ll need a second mortgage to be able to afford to take the family to see “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” next month.
Fortunately, help is on the way. Here are Six Smart Ways to Go to the Movies This Summer:
1. Join the club
Membership has its privileges. Most major theater chains have some sort of loyalty program that allows you to accrue points toward discounted tickets, concessions or other goodies. For instance, you earn $10 in “Stubs Rewards” for every $100 you spend at AMC theaters. That’s not much more than a family of four spends to see a movie and buy nachos. Regal’s “Crown Club” members receive one credit per dollar spent purchasing tickets, with rewards starting at 50 points (one free small popcorn) and escalating upward. (300 points gets you one free movie ticket.) Of course, there’s no entirely free popcorn ... er, lunch: You have to spend a bunch of money before getting any of it back. (Indeed, there’s a $12 annual fee to join AMC Stubs.)
But there are other benefits to joining: AMC Stubs members are waived the annoying “convenience fee” ($1 or more) when buying tickets online. Landmark Theatres Film Club members recently got a chance at free tickets to an advance screening of “Headhunters” and an “exclusive letter” from “The Deep Blue Sea” writer/director Terence Davies. Being able to save on the cost of a bathtub-sized Coke at the concession stand: good. Getting to sound like an insufferably smart movie insider at dinner parties: priceless.
2. Go big or stay home
Another way to save is by buying multiples of tickets at once — if you can get in the actual or virtual door to the store. Several big warehouse shopping clubs offer special movie deals to members. BJ’s Club sells a package of four AMC movie tickets (also good at Loews and Magic Johnson theaters) and one small popcorn voucher for $34.99 — that’s a saving of almost $3 per ticket for non-matinee shows. Costco sells four-packs of tickets to AMC, Regal and Cinemark theaters online for $34.99. In addition, two-packs of tickets for $15.99 are available in some Costcos here. In all cases, the tickets are valid seven days a week and have no expiration date.
An even better — if initially more expensive — way to save money and time in line at the box office is Landmark Theatres’ “Film Aficionado Ticket Books.” For $200, you get 25 tickets good at any time, including weekends (only “special engagement”-designated screenings are off limits). That comes out to $8 per ticket, a $2 saving for most show times. Studio Movie Grill in Alpharetta also sells discounted tickets good for movie admission only. These “SMG Gold Tickets” are available in packs of 24 or 48 tickets for $6.25 each. That’s a 35 percent saving on non-matinee prices.
3. Like them. Really, really like them!
Social networking can be a good way to snag hard-to-come-by tickets or cut costs on concessions. Groupon and LivingSocial.com periodically have advance deals on tickets for specific movies, while gift card websites often have discounted fare (PlasticJungle.com was offering 13 percent off on $25 and $100 AMC gift cards last week). Individuals sometimes post similar offers on Craigslist, although as always, proceed at your own risk there.
Easier still is “liking” theater chains on Facebook and following them on Twitter. Facebook pages in particular are good sources of info on early ticket sales for blockbuster flicks (“‘The Hunger Games’ is back in IMAX one week starting Friday!” AMC’s page reported last week along with a link for tickets), contests to win free tickets, tie-in merchandise and DVDs, coupon offers and more. Possible drawbacks: More time spent hunched over your office computer pretending to work when you’re actually on Regal Cinema’s web page waiting for a new concessions coupon to be revealed every Thursday. (It’s good for a week.) Measurable benefits: The Carmike Cinemas’ web page recently offered a “Valentine’s Sweetheart Deal” concessions coupon and AMC’s “Tax Relief Offer” was good for a free small popcorn April 13-15. Best of all, perhaps, was a recent post on Great Escape Theatres’ Facebook page. The chain, which includes the Hamilton Mill 14 in Dacula, was seeking “Mystery Shoppers” to go to Great Escape theaters and provide feedback on the experience in exchange for being reimbursed for tickets.
4. Stay ahead of the crowd
Not everything’s about money. Sometimes, avoiding long lines and crowds is a bigger deal — if you can even get tickets for that summer blockbuster movie.
If you absolutely positively have to be there on opening night, stake out Fandango or Movietickets.com to buy tickets as far ahead of time as possible. (Again, Facebook and Twitter can help out by letting you know the minute advance tickets for, say, July’s “The Dark Knight Rises” go on sale. Just be aware that if you follow those links or click “purchase tickets” on the various chains’ websites, you’ll likely end up on Fandango.)
I could buy tickets eight days ago for tonight’s 7:15 p.m. showing of “The Avengers” at the Midtown Art Cinema on Movietickets.com. For opening night of “Dark Shadows” next Friday at the Regal Atlantic Station Stadium 16, I could get tickets two weeks ahead of time on Fandango.
The bad news: the dreaded “convenience fee.” Still, it’s probably worth it to be first on your block to see Johnny Depp sink his fangs into the role of Barnabas Collins.
The good news: Many theaters now accept tickets purchased online and printed out at home or even sent directly to a mobile device. So, no more having to wait in line anyway at the box office to pick up those tickets you had purchased well in advance.
5. Repeat after us: “I do like Mondays”
Studio moguls, theater owners — they all love to talk about the size of the weekend box office for their blockbuster films. But what nobody likes discussing is how much less crowded theaters are on the other four days of the week. Any week.
“Monday-Thursday are often good opportunities for guests looking for more ticket availability,” the spokesperson for one major theater chain wrote in an email, declining to be quoted directly.
Savvy moviegoers may take advantage of this fact by waiting out “Prometheus” or “Men In Black 3” openings by just a few days and then having their pick of stadium seating on a Monday or Tuesday night. They may also enjoy various incentives theaters offer to bring them in on off days.
Regal Crown Club members get five extra points with paid admission on Thursdays and there are $2 candy and popcorn deals on Mondays and Tuesdays. Aurora Cineplex in Roswell has “Two for Tuesday,” when all movie tickets are half price (there are certain date restrictions) and certain concessions are “buy one, get one free.” At Studio Movie Grill in Alpharetta, adult tickets cost less for non-matinees (after 6 p.m.) Mondays-Thursdays than on weekends, and so does some of the food and drink: There’s “Endless Pizza Wednesdays” ($9.95 per person) and “Margarita Mondays” when the signature drink costs $2 less.
6. Take a Viewcation
Like a Staycation, only better! By taking a day off from work, school or running a household, you can take in as many as three movies in a day, either in different theaters or in the same multiplex. Start with a morning matinee, when ticket prices usually are lower. (At many AMC theaters, for example, the first shows start in the 10 a.m.- 11 a.m. hour and cost $6.) Make sure to schedule your Viewcation for Monday-Thursday, in order to make the best use of “Smart Ways” No. 1-5 above.
That also leaves the weekend free for trips to Lake Como.
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The skinny on movie clubs
● AMC Stubs: www.amcstubs.com.
● Carmike Rewards: www.carmikerewards.com
● Cinebristro’s Club Cine Rewards Program: cobbcinebistro.com (click on Club Cine link)
● Great Escape Theatres’ Critics Choice Card Program: www.greatescapetheatres.com/Customer-Loyalty.html
● Landmark Theatres Film Club: filmclub.landmarktheatres.com
● Regal Crown Club: www.regmovies.com (click on “Crown Club” icon)
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