Movie Theater Hacks Every Movie Lover Should Know

Enjoying a movie on the big screen with a gallon fountain soda and large popcorn bucket in your lap is truly one of life’s simple pleasures. Watching a movie at home can’t compare to the movie theater experience. But there are lots of ways you can “hack” this experience to get the most out of your movie outing.

You can bring seasonings from home to add flavor to your popcorn. Some people prefer cinnamon for a sweet treat and others like lime salt for a citrus-flavored snack. But you can also bring some spice to this salty treat.

Not everyone enjoys watching movie previews and ads (I was shocked too). If you want to get right down to business and miss all the stuff that plays before the movie starts, there is actually an exact science to the time you should show up.

It’s hard to find a good time to sneak away and pee during a good movie. After all, you paid to be there and you don’t want to miss anything important! But those large sodas make it difficult to sit through a 2 hour long movie without a bathroom break.

Movie theaters are notoriously freezing cold! If you’ve ever gone to the theater without a sweatshirt, I’m sure you’ve regretted that decision. Always be sure to pack a sweatshirt with you to stay warm.

Being strategic in the time you go to the movies will benefit your movie-going experience. For instance, if you want to avoid the crowds, you should avoid the weekend and the matinee time, which is usually in the afternoon.

Most theaters have a nacho bar with toppings for your cheesy chips, but you can use this bar to your advantage with your popcorn as well. Throw some jalapeños on top of your snack to add some spice.

Movie theater drinks and snacks are notoriously pricey, but the portion sizes are also huge! Instead of getting a small popcorn for everybody in your party, get one large bucket and bring some brown bags to divvy it up between you.

There is actually an exact science to the perfect seat in the house. The seat that is two-thirds back from the screen and in the center of the row is technically the best seat in the house for sound and audio because it is where audio engineers level out the sound.

Movie tickets in bulk are always cheaper than buying them straight out. Bulk tickets can be up to 25% less than the regular price if you buy a package somewhere like Costco or Sam’s Club. Some theaters also offer memberships and deals for frequent movie-goers.

You’ve paid handsomely for a giant bucket of popcorn and everybody knows that the warm butter is the best part of this delicious movie-going snack. But how can you make sure to get the popcorn all throughout the large bucket?

Not everyone is a fan of the booming speakers in theaters, and some movies can be worse than others when it comes to loud noises. Bring a pair of earplugs with you in case the sound gets a little too overwhelming.

When hot new movies come out, they need to create buzz around the release. This is especially true since streaming services like Netflix have taken away some of the excitement of going to the theater to see new films.

Most major theaters have loyalty programs that you can join to save money on movie tickets and concessions. These usually have an annual or monthly fee and give you varying levels of discounts.

Fandango is one of the best apps for movie lovers. It will help you find the movies you want to see at the theaters closest to you. The app also offers specials for being a member that will help you save even more money on your movie-going experience.

If you can manage to wait a few weeks to see your movie, you’ll save tons of money. Late run theaters don’t show new releases as soon as they come out. They start playing them when regular theaters stop playing them.

If you’ve ever received a gift card as a gift for some place you don’t shop, fear not! The website Raise will allow you to swap out the unwanted card for a gift card you’ll actually use. This is true for all kinds of gift cards: restaurant, uber, shopping, movie theater, etc.

Be aware of all the speciality discounts to see if any apply to you. Most theaters offer discounts for children, seniors, students, military, and AAA members.

There’s nothing worse than spending the money to see a movie and then not enjoying it. Check out the reviews before you head to the theater to get an idea of what people think of the film.

High end movie theaters have started to pop up all over and these can change the romance game. If you’re looking for something to do for an elevated date, consider going to one of these high end theaters, like Cinepolis.

Back in the day people used to sneak into movies all the time. They’d pull what was known as a “double feature” and buy a ticket to one movie to then sneak into another one right after it.

No one likes the sound of phones going off in the theater and it’s disruptive when people pull their phones from their bags because of the glowing screen in the dark theater. Instead of simply putting your phone on airplane mode, use Cinemark.

Many theaters offer special screenings for people who have autism or other special needs. These screenings keep the lights on and lower the volume so that it isn’t over stimulating for anyone.

The snacks at the movie theater are insanely expensive and they only keep increasing in price. Bring a large bag or baggy sweatshirt with you to the theater and buy snacks from the dollar store before the movie.

A lot of theaters have their own discount days where they show movies for majorly discounted prices. For example, Bowtie cinemas offers a Super Tuesday deal where they show $7 movies and sell $5 large popcorn buckets.

When major movies come out with lots of anticipation, the theaters can sell out fairly quickly. If you want to make sure you don’t miss out on tickets, order the tickets online before heading into the theater.

It is pretty commonplace for theaters to offer reserved seating these days, but some theaters are still simply “seat yourself”. Many people prefer to choose their seat instead of leaving it up to chance.

3D isn’t for everyone. The way that 3D makes it look like the film is jumping out at you can make some people feel sick. If you’re taking the kids to a 3D movie but you want to watch the film in 2D, we have the solution for you.

If you’re going to the theater hungry, you will pay the price. But if you’re going with friends be sure to be strategic about how you’re purchasing food. Split popcorn and beverages to save some money.

This is one that might not be all that comfortable for everybody but it is a common hack that people use at theaters to save some money. The large nuggets of popcorn come with free refills so you can pluck a used popcorn bucket from the trash.

If you have sensitive eyes, use a pair of blue light glasses and bring them with you to the theater. These glasses will block the blue light from the screen and prevent headaches and eye irritation.

Some movie theater employees have commented on the state of the hotdogs, pizza, pretzels, and other “fresh” food that you can buy at the concession stands. These foods are typically microwaved and sit out all day.

Sometimes movies sneak in a scene after the credits roll and these small easter eggs might be integral to the plot line of the movie. Or, they might be funny in the case of a comedic film.

According to movie theater employees, Christmas Day is the worst day of the year to go to the movie theater for everyone involved. The employees are unhappy they have to work on the holiday.

When there are big movie release days the theaters have to come prepared with tons of popcorn to satisfy the masses. Apparently, they would start popping it days before the event and keep the popcorn tied off in plastic bags.

We believe in the “treat people how you want to be treated” policy and the movie theater is no exception. Like any customer service job, movie theater concession stand workers have to deal with a host of interesting characters and the occasional “Karen”.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need to wash our hands more. The pandemic brought attention to how many germs are resting on surfaces and how we need to be more diligent about washing our hands.

Theaters want to make sure you have the best movie-going experience possible, so they’re usually more than happy to oblige requests from kind customers. If you sat through a movie with a screaming baby, you might be able to get a free movie ticket.

Movie theater employees get to see screenings of movies before they’re out to the general public. It’s one great perk of working there. And, this means they will have some inside knowledge of all the films.

Most theaters offer snack combos that advertise “cheaper” food combinations. For example, you can get a hot dog with a bucket of popcorn and a drink as a combo instead of purchasing each of these items separately.