National Cinema Day returned for a second year in 2023 and we saw discounted tickets nationwide on Sunday, Aug. 27. This was your chance to have your own Barbenheimer movie day, for $4 a ticket. More than 3,000 theaters participated in Cinema Day 2023 with cheap movie tickets at AMC, Regal, and even through Fandango.
The first National Cinema Day took place on Sep. 3, 2022. It is hosted by the Cinema Foundation and is designed to, “celebrate the power of movies to bring us all together”. Though it’s also likely it was a promo to get us all back into theaters after the pandemic. In 2022, they offered $3 movie tickets. So they’re $1 more per ticket in 2023. But $4 was still a steal when the national average movie ticket runs $10.53 for adults.
Will $4 ticket prices return next year? We sure hope so! But considering how expensive average ticket prices are, they might go up $1 again. Until we know what Cinema Day 2024, and its ticket prices look like, here’s how it went down in 2023. bookmark this page because we’ll update this post with the latest scoop on next year’s event as soon as news becomes available.
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National Cinema Day is a one-day event with discounted movie tickets at participating theaters.
The nonprofit Cinema Foundation is behind National Cinema Day each year, getting more than 3,000 movie theaters nationwide to offer $4 tickets for one day only. The one-day cheap tickets are a promotion to celebrate the moviegoing experience. Chains such as Regal and AMC participate, and movie ticket sellers Fandango also offer National Cinema Day deals.
KCL predicts the next National Cinema Day will take place Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024.
The Cinema Foundation hasn’t officially announced the next date for National Cinema Day — it’s not on a recurring date — but we predict that like last year, they’ll have the event the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. In 2024, that’ll be Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024.
Pre-purchase $4 tickets so you don’t miss out.
In 2023, you could pre-purchase your movie tickets for the event before theaters filled up. All movies were included for this special price, so there was something for the entire family. Barbie and Oppenheimer were expected to sell out quickly. Grand Turismo debuted on Aug. 25, 2023, and was also included in the $4 promo ticket price.
An estimated 8.1 million people participated in National Cinema Day in 2022. And the movies offered last September weren’t as in demand as those in 2023. Top Gun: Maverick topped the charts in 2022 with DC League of Super Pets, Bullet Train, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and The Invitation rounding out the top five. Even though tickets were $1 more in 2023, a large turnout was expected with movies like Golda, The Hill, Retribution, and the super hot Barbie and Oppenheimer films.
We also saw some re-releases slated for late August. Families could watch Beauty and the Beast for Disney100 and the 30th anniversary of Jurrasic Park.
Book tickets through your local theater or Fandango.
With over 3,000 participating theaters, chances were pretty good you had one near you. All you had to do was visit the website for your favorite theater — AMC, Regal, and Cinemark — and select showtimes for Sunday, Aug. 27 to get your $4 tickets and select seats.
Here are major chains that participated in National Cinema Day 2023:
Get a popcorn and drink combo for $4 at Regal.
Even with discounted ticket prices, a trip to the movies can cost a bundle. Popcorn, drinks, and candy at the concession stand rival the price of tickets. Regal offered a small popcorn and soft drink combo for just $4 during Cinema Day in 2023. That means you could’ve enjoyed a movie, salty snack, and drink for just $8 at participating locations.
AMC moviegoers also got a small popcorn and drink combo deal, but it was $5.
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