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Monday, April 11, 2011

Movies - There are Often Free Screenings Nearby

For our inaugural post, I think we’ll talk movies this week.  Going to the movies is a wonderful, fun activity that most folks, especially kids love. However, with tickets costing $7.50 or more per person (including kids), we’ve rarely gone to an actual theater to see movies as a family (maybe 4 times a year).


Until now. I recently decided to look into ways to see movies cheaper. And I discovered there are a fair number of free screenings in the area. You just have to be on the look out for them. For example, this weekend, my husband, kids and I went to a free screening of the movie Rio in Silver Spring. We were able to get tickets through Arch Campbell’s Free Stuff blog (http://www.tbd.com/blogs/arch-campbell-show/).

The D.C. area seems to get a fair number of free screenings. At the one we attended, about 60 seats had signs saying “reserved for press.” I can only assume that rather than showing the press a movie in an empty theater, the movie companies have decided to get a little atmosphere for press screenings and give away tickets. So, it works out well for the movie makers and for us.

Two sites offer pretty goo info for free screenings in this area: www.buzzbo.com and www.gofobo.com.  The only downside of screenings is that seating is not gauranteed. Knowing people change their minds at the last minute (especially when they didn’t pay for the tickets), they over book. So, you have to arrive about an hour early to get a seat. Anyone with small kids knows waiting an hour for a movie can be difficult.

If anyone is interested in seeing RIO for free, there’s another chance. The family magazine Giggles on the Go is offering families of four (or fewer) to win tickets to a screening this Thursday (April 14). To enter the contest, go online to http://www.gigglesonthego.com/giggles_goodies.php.

In case you’re wondering, RIO was very good for a kid flick. The two bird characters, Blu and Jewel were likable and funny. Their human counterparts, Linda and Luiz, also were fun to watch. Unlike HOP, which was a movie you take your kids to and groan through yourself, Rio was a film the entire family could enjoy.

That’s it for today. Catch you later in the week.

-Hyattsville Mom

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