For years now I have eased the pain of paying movie concession prices with the idea that it was the theaters only means of income. I thought the “big bad movie studios” got all take from the door. Well after doing a bit of research, I found out I had it all wrong! The studios actually anticipate a loss of money on theatrical releases, but make a profit on the sale of DVDs. The theaters can take as much as fifty percent of the ticket sales from the door. It makes perfect sense to me; but in that case, why are we paying more for a gallon of popcorn than for a gallon of gas? Are the ethanol lobbyists aware of this? While there is little we can do about the price of movie goodies, there are several ways to cut down on the cost of admission. The Entertainment Book, sold around this time of year by many charitable organizations, has coupons for discounted admission for all the major chain cinemas. In fact there are so many coupons in the book, I end up playing “Coupon Fairy” at the box office when they are about to expire. Combine this effort with free popcorn nights that Regal Crown Club Card offers, and you have got a big date! The free card also tracks how much you spend at the cinema (including concessions), and offers incentives like free drinks, popcorn, and tickets. I usually get some kind of freebie every 4th or 5th trip. Just fill out the form in the Regal theater lobby, hand it to an employee and they will get you started. Don’t forget that during the summers Regal hosts the Summer Movie Festival which is free and very kid-friendly. It is a great way to introduce the younger set to movie etiquette. There are a few bargain cinemas left such as the Round Rock Cinema 8 which is $4.75 evenings and $2.75 matinee or The Millennium Youth Entertainment Center which costs $1.50 all shows. Yes, the screens are smaller than your big stadium theaters, but it is a movie going experience none the less, and you won’t feel as bad if your kids don’t make it to the end of the movie. Adults whose kids are in school, consider scheduling a long lunch during the week to take advantage of matinee prices without having to hire a babysitter. Even on weekends we never enter the theater after 6pm unless we have a coupon. We can’t forget about the Austin institution the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. Although they don’t screen family movies very often, they do have bargain nights on Mondays at all of their venues. Downtown offers the Saturday Morning Kids Club which is free screenings of classic kids films on the last Saturday of the month. My favorite way to save money on the movies is to take advantage of Movie Cash offers. What is this? Movie Cash is a check that can be used to pay for a ticket at almost every major movie chain in the US. They are offered as mail in rebate-type incentives on certain grocery/drugstore items. They are most often found in the Walgreen’s rebate catalog, but I also have gotten free movie checks for eating Chef Boy R Dee products. I LOVE the ones that include Pampers. I spend $20 on diapers which I have to buy anyway and get free movie tickets! Sure, I’ll lick that stamp! OK, so you still end up paying almost $5.00 for a soda that’s bigger than your head (Tip…Spring for the plastic cup, get a refill on your way out and you are good for the night or, in our case, two nights.) but at least you don’t need a Movie star’s income to get into the movies.