National Cinema Day Returns, Offers $4 Movie Tickets
By Movieguide® Contributor
For the second year in a row, movie theaters across the country are offering the cinema experience at a reduced price in a combined industry effort to increase interest in theatergoing.
The second National Cinema Day will occur this Sunday, August 27, as over 3,000 theaters nationwide offer movie tickets for $4 all day.
“Following the rousing success of the first annual National Cinema Day, we welcome everyone to join us for the communal experience of one of America’s favorite pastimes – moviegoing,” said Jackie Brenneman, president of the Cinema Foundation. “We look forward to gathering at the movies and celebrating an exciting slate of new releases and classics, from beloved family favorites and outrageous comedies to thought-provoking dramas and thrilling adventures. There’s something for everyone.”
During the movie celebration, a slew of new movies will release, including GRAN TURISMO: BASED ON A TRUE STORY, GOLDA, THE HILL, RETRIBUTION and BOTTOMS.
These will show with current hits SOUND OF FREEDOM, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM, OPPENHEIMER and BARBIE.
Theaters will also show other movies from the year, like THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE, INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY and ELEMENTAL.
Re-releases of JURASSIC PARK (3D), AMERICAN GRAFFITI and A24’s LADY BIRD will be in theaters on Sunday.
National Cinema Day was conceived last year as an initiative to boost theater attendance as the industry was still struggling to recover from the pandemic. The event was a massive success, bringing 8.1 million people to theaters, the highest attendance number that year.
However, the event was also hastily put together, catching some indie distributors and art houses by surprise.
“We tried to learn from that. To have conversations much earlier, give notice much earlier,” Brenneman told Deadline.
Along with more planning and better communication, this year’s event differs from the first because theaters are less desperate for an attendance boost.
The industry has largely recovered from the pandemic low, only trailing 2019’s box office by 5%. Rather than use National Cinema Day’s low ticket prices to entice people to theaters, this year’s event is meant to celebrate the cinema experience.
“[The day] is about celebrating the moviegoing experience and how important movie theaters are to our communities,” Brenneman explained.
“Movies have the power to bring us together to share in the joy, the thrill and the magic of a great story told on the big screen,” added NATO CEO Michael O’Leary.
Movieguide® previously reported on National Cinema Day:
Movie-lovers, rejoice! As part of a new initiative to bring people back to the movies, theaters all over America are taking part in “National Cinema Day.” As part of this event, movie tickets will be just $3.
National Cinema Day, which will take place September 3, is being put on by the Cinema Foundation, a non-profit part of the National Association of Theater Owners. Over 3,000 theaters all over the US will offer $3 movie tickets, including major chains like AMC and Regal Cinemas.
This new initiative is in an effort to combat low Labor Day weekend sales. That weekend is traditionally a slow week for theaters, but the whole summer has been slow, due to a lack of movies from studios.
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