National Cinema Day Returns With Movie Tickets Under $4 on Sunday

Publish date: 2024-10-25

Movie tickets across the U.S. will be heavily discounted on Aug. 27 in honor of National Cinema Day.

This Sunday, all movies, all formats (yes, even Imax — if “Oppenheimer” isn’t already sold out on your local 70mm screen), all showtimes, all day will cost less than $4 at participating theaters. More than 3,000 locations — with approximately 30,000 available screens — are expected to take part in the one-day event.

The second annual National Cinema Day, hosted by the Cinema Foundation, is designed to “celebrate the power of movies to bring us all together” — or, to populate multiplexes during the dog days of summer. The event comes as the summer box office is 16.6% ahead of 2022 but 5.4% below 2019, according to Comscore. Approximately 8.1 million moviegoers turned out for last year’s inaugural National Cinema Day and resulted in the highest-attended day of 2022, according to the National Association of Theater Owners. All of that foot traffic in theaters usually means there will be more popcorn and concession stand sales.

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“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 pasttimes — moviegoing,” says 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.”

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Dozens of movies, including new releases like “Gran Turismo,” the biopic “Golda” and Dennis Quaid’s sports drama “The Hill,” current box office hits such as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” recent favorites including “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” sing-along, as well as re-releases of classics like “Jurassic Park,” are slated to populate the big screens across the country on Sunday.

“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,” says Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners. “National Cinema Day is a celebration of movie fandom and of the uniting role that movie theaters play in our communities.”

After last year’s National Cinema Day, a consumer survey by Fandango noted that moviegoers consider affordable pricing and ability to watch a specific movie they’ve been wanting to see as top reasons to participate again in the discount film day.

“With consumer appetite for top-notch entertainment at a high, and a blockbuster slate of summer movies still in theaters, National Cinema Day allows movie lovers across the country a chance to see one or several titles at a great price,” says Jerramy Hainline, senior VP of Fandango Ticketing, a sponsor of the event.

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