By Sharon Oliver
Contributing Writer
REGION – One of America’s favorite pastimes has always been going to a theater to catch the latest flick and devour a bucket of heavily buttered popcorn. Why not? Part of the moviegoing experience is to laugh, cry, howl, and flinch along with family members, friends, and strangers while enjoying a good cinematic motion picture.
However, things have changed over time. The price of tickets continues to increase and thanks to streaming services, movies become available on the small screen faster than you can grab the remote. But even without discounts, some theaters have diversified and added to their offerings beyond just a screening of the movie.
A mystery movie for the adventurous
On the other hand, the over-60 audience in particular now has several reasons to flock to the nearest theater for an afternoon or evening of viewing fun. For example, AMC offers guests over 60 a senior discount ticket option. Also, be on the lookout for AMC’s Screen Unseen limited-time offer program, where film presentations remain a mystery until the lights go down and cost only $5 plus tax. Regal theaters offer the over-60 crowd ticket discounts as well.
Showcase Cinemas has a Senior Wednesdays deal for 60-plus viewers wherein they pay $7.75 to watch a movie and popcorn with a fountain drink costs only $5.50. Some Showcase theaters have sensory-sensitive screenings allowing guests to sit back and relax in a comfortable setting where the volume is lowered. Their Massachusetts Starpass members pay only $5 on Bargain Tuesdays. Also, check out their Mom’s Movie Night, which features admission to a movie of your choice and a pre-party in one of their Lux Level lounges or restaurants for hors d’oeuvres.
General admission prices for tickets at Cinemark theaters allow people aged 62 and older to save up to 30 percent and even more on Senior Day at select locations. The indie theater chain Landmark Cinemas offers a special Senior’s Day discount every Monday. You receive 20 percent off both tickets and concessions. Their motto is “A Great Deal Never Get Old.”
Special programs
Brookline’s beloved Coolidge Corner Theater offers some interesting perks no matter what your age is. As part of their Big Screen Classics program, they offer seminars about select film screenings and the Coolidge Education classes focus on particular subjects such as early films of “Master of Suspense” filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Tickets for the Coolidge Education one-night seminar are priced at $27.50 ($25.50 for Coolidge members and students) and include a 30-minute lecture and reserved seating for the film screening.
Their Open Screen is an open mic event for budding filmmakers. Share your film, projected in a dark room before a group of attendees. As long as your movie is under 10 minutes, they will screen it. There certainly is a lot to take advantage of at this Art Deco movie palace where all things cinema and beyond are celebrated. It is indeed a cultural institution.
Not to be outdone, Waltham’s Embassy Theater’s Movie Club Members can enjoy a movie on Tuesdays for only $7. Amherst Cinema also has a list of opportunities for film enthusiasts. Designed as a communal and conversational experience, their Cinema Seminars offer participants the chance to explore and foster new understandings of film within historical and cultural contexts. Amherst’s A Thousand Words series “invites writers, poets, and novelists to ask guests to program a film accompanying a discussion around their use of the written word in relationship to the moving image.”
Whether it’s a national chain or independent theater, going to the movies is no longer just about watching the latest romcom, thriller, or comedy. Moviegoers can now participate in various programs, learn from a variety of classes, share their own projects in film, or just take advantage of the discounts.
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