How to Save Money at the Cinemas

Saving money doesn't mean having to cut out all the fun in your life. It's simply about making the effort to be a little bit smarter about how you spend your money and practising a little self-restraint.

One of my favourite pastimes is to enjoy a good movie at the cinemas. These days however, your average ticket price is around $15 for an adult. If each time you went to the cinema with a friend and bought popcorn and a drink each, this could easily blow your budget out to about $60 between the both of you. Just imagine if you went with your family! In my honest opinion, that is way more than what I'd like to pay for an afternoon out at the cinemas. Luckily, there are a few ways you can save money at the cinemas and still have a good time without having to worry about how much money you'll be spending.

Save Money by Not Buying Food or Drink from the Cinema's Candy Bar

Cinema owners are becoming cleverer with the way they design cinema complexes. My local cinema has been designed in such a way that the ticket counter is also the candy bar. This entices people to buy the food and drinks on offer at the same time you buy your tickets because of the convenience and the barrage of delectable candies, ice creams, popcorn and soft drinks on enticing displays. But be strong. Resist the urge to splurge on the super-sized tub of buttered salty popcorn and the large Coke.

The alternative is to buy the soft drink from the supermarket before you get to the cinema and sneak it in. They honestly can't ask to check your bags nor ask you to dispose of your externally purchased drink.

Furthermore, if you really want popcorn, buy a small tub and share it between your group of friends or family. Can you honestly say that you've ever finished an entire tub of popcorn or enjoy drowning out the dialogue of the movie with the incessant crunching? Being smarter about the food and drink alone can save you a heap of money at the cinemas.

Save Money by Planning to Go to the Cinema on “Tight-Arse” Tuesdays

Every Tuesday at cinemas in Sydney, tickets are sold at one flat rate of around $8. This is cheaper than the normal ticket price for a child and there is no restriction on which movie you wish to see so long as it is on the Tuesday you have purchased the ticket. This means you can catch a recently released film at almost 50 percent off the normal price! What a great way to save money at the cinemas. That being said, please check with your local cinema operator for the day they offer discounted tickets as it may differ between states and operators.

Save Money by Buying Cinema Tickets in Bulk

We know that buying toilet paper in bulk will save you a good amount of money. The same also applies to buying cinema tickets in bulk. This is a particularly useful strategy if you are a regular movie buff or attend the cinema in a large group.

Cinemas often give a discount on books of at least 10 tickets with each ticket being about $10 to $11 each. These are normally unrestricted tickets and can be used at any time for any movie. The only downside is that you have to use the tickets within a given timeframe which is usually within a year of purchasing the tickets.

Save Money by Buying Cinema Tickets From Your Work's Social Club

This strategy is useful if you don't go the cinemas frequently but still want to save money when you do. If the company you work for has an employees' social club, check if they offer discounted cinema tickets. If you work for a sizeable company, it's often the case that they offer this benefit. Because the social club caters for so many employees, it's able to purchase hundreds if not thousands of cinema tickets at once at a good price.

Where I work, I'm able to purchase unrestricted tickets for $10 each. This price will of course vary depending on your company and the downside is that they may not necessarily cater for the cinema operator you want. Apart from your workplace, you may also be a member of an association, union or club that also provides similar discounted ticket prices. Find out about their offers and use them to your advantage.

Save Money by Planning to Watch a Movie When it is On Sale

You can save a lot of money by resisting the temptation of watching a movie in the first few weeks of it being released. As a movie gets older or is no longer attracting that many cinema-goers, cinema operators will often select that movie to be “on sale” during a particular week. When a movie is on sale, the ticket price for that movie will be on offer for $8 or $9 for the week depending on the operator.

To become aware of and obtain these movie sales, you must subscribe to the cinema's weekly email newsletter. Subscription to the newsletters for Hoyts and Greater Union cinemas are free of charge so it's a fantastic opportunity to save money at the cinemas. The only downside is that you can only purchase up to two discounted tickets per newsletter subscription. The simple way to get around this is to ask each of your friends to also sign up to the newsletters if they're as smart with their money as you are.

As you can see, there are several strategies to save money when you go to the cinemas. These strategies are really about planning ahead and making use of all the opportunities for a more affordable outing to the cinemas.