Theater owners desperate for business: $3 movie day in the works

Just as the box office experiences its lowest profit weekend of the entire summer, this news is being reported to inspire your business:

For one day, movie tickets will be just $3 in the vast majority of American theaters as part of a newly launched “National Cinema Day” to lure moviegoers during a quiet spell at the box office.

The Cinema Foundation is a non-profit arm of the National Association of Theater Owners.. They are involved with this announcement.

The date: September 3.

It will be a nationwide discount day in more than 3,000 theaters and on more than 30,000 screens.

Major chains, including AMC and Regal Cinemas, are participating, as are all major film studios.

In participating theaters, tickets will be no more than $3 for every showing, in every format.

Organizers of National Cinema Day described the event as a trial that could become an annual fixture. While some other countries have experimented with a similar day of cheap movie tickets, the initiative is the first of its kind on such a large scale in the U.S.

But will this be enough?

Despite having a few blockbusters weekends this summer, and record breaking movies, the last few years have been pretty awful. COVID can be blamed with theater shut downs.

Now that the COVID nightmare has quelled, the streaming platforms seem to have captured the dull imagination of movie-goers.. We have lost our zeal for a air conditioned and amazing popcorn filled frenzy of new movies.

This group seems to hope to make that return again.

Good luck.

It seems unlikely that we will have the beauty of the experience we once did.

And frankly, during a recession or even depression, spending money sure ain’t available to millions of people. Choosing between necessity and entertainment, we obviously know where the fundage will nbe thrown, right?

That perhaps is what makes this dicey.

Theaters have grown dark–but without movies being played.

At some point it breaks.

We lament when it will, and until then enjoy the moments we get to bask in the pale light of a projector screen inside a building or outside in a drive-in.

Three dollar day may help. A bit. It just won’t be the silver bullet to end all fears for future theaters..