We had a $2 theater in Winston. It got first run movies as they were finishing their run in the area. It only has night shows (after 5pm). The theater is huge, it's one of the early multiplexes (25 years), and it's in good repair, always clean: lobby, bathrooms, and theatres. It has bare concrete floors and regular theater seating, not stadium seats. The sound system is adequate, the screens are in good repair. The drinks and popcorn are generic but not too overpriced. And they do a brisk and profitable business. I love going there.
There's also a first-run four-theater cineplex in one of Winston's bedroom communities that charges full price for tickets and concessions. It has nasty stained carpet and upholstery, filthy bathrooms in disrepair, the AC doesn't work, the projectors break down half the time, and the staff is despondent and incompetent. I don't know how they get away with running and charging for first-run movies, or how the health department hasn't shut them down. And I don't understand why people go there to see a movie.
We have a $2 theater - it's at the mall but not *in* the mall. It's only a 5-screen and the other two in town are bigger and newer. We went for the first time last weekend, though, and I'm going to push for doing all kids' movies there in future. It's not very sketchy, and the savings for a family of 4 is huge.
We have a $3 theater that has movies right after they have left the big theater. It is sometimes cheaper, and sometimes they have first run films that are a little more artsy for, I think, $6. There is also a cheap theater in RI, but it isn't really in the best neighborhood.
Our dollar movie is an 8-screen place that's maintained pretty well, and the popcorn is yummy. Here in Provo we've got Brigham Young University and lots of young folks with young kids, so this place will never go out of business.
The location is one of the bigger strip malls on one of the busiest roads in town.
The bargain theatre near me has converted into a first-run theatre, but since they haven't upgraded their facilities (and really don't have the room to do so), they're only charging $5 per ticket.
We have a $2 or $3 (I can't remember the price) theatre around here, over in Shoreline. It's been around forever, is about a 20 minute walk from my parents' old house, and is the theatre where I saw
The Lost Boys
at over and over and over. Oh, and
The Decline And Fall Of Western Civilization, Part Two: The Metal Years,
too.
Are there still dollar movie theaters? None in our little hick town, and I'm wondering with DVD rentals, and internet rentals, and on-demand TV whether the dollar movie theater has survived in slightly less hicky places than here.
We have one in Ann Arbor in our mall. It does really great business. I know that we've seen lots of stuff there. If it's something I really really want to see, I'll wait and go see it there so that it stays open. They have 50 cent Tuesdays which are awesome.
We have a lot, but I don't go anymore myself.
Our dollar place wisely does midnight shows of the big animated stuff, knowing that all the college students want to see it but not necessarily surrounded by youngsters.
This, um... made me laugh. MacGruber Trailer: First Look At Will Forte's New Film (VIDEO)
The long-awaited "MacGruber" trailer is finally here. Will Forte's hilarious MacGyver parody has been a staple of SNL for the past few years, and here he gets to stretch out with what looks to be a great cast. Val Kilmer as a bad guy? Awesome. Check out the trailer. It's an upper decker.
