Regal summer movies have always held a special place in my heart.
I have vivid memories of my grandma taking me with my siblings and adopted aunt and uncle since something like middle school. She would always bring blankets for everyone because it was always freezing, she’d always buy the huge bucket of popcorn (and divvy it up into bowls she brought from home) and afterwards there would always be a Domino’s guy selling pizzas in the parking lot for $5 – we’d take one home for lunch, then spend the rest of the day in her pool. What I wouldn’t give to spend another day like that.
Unfortunately, we stopped going as much as we all grew older, my grandma’s pool fell into disrepair, she has since passed away and her home was sold this past year. But the memory is still there and it’s something I enjoy sharing with my kids now; I don’t think there’s a year that goes by without them having to muscle through me reminiscing about those long gone summer days.
So imagine my excitement when I learned that Regal still does summer kids movies! I guess it had always remained in the back of my mind in the form of those memories with Grandma but since I didn’t have kids that were old enough to really go to the movies it just got lost somewhere in the back of my brain. But ever since my oldest, Elias, turned four we have tried to hit the movies every week during the summer.
All that to say I have acquired four (mom) years worth of summer movie experience and have put together a list of my favorite tips for saving money and tricks to make it easier on the moms and dads braving the theater with their brood!
Join Regal Crown Club
I LOVE rewards programs; I could go on and on about this, but I’ll save you the rambling and get to the good stuff. It’s free to join and earns you points towards free items. Even better, you’ll get access to exclusive promotions available only to Crown Club members. Don’t like having to carry around another rewards card? Download their app and have access to everything on your phone – rewards card, tickets and payment info all in the app.
Get the schedule ahead of time
There’s nothing worse than getting the movies with your kids in tow and realizing that literally no one is going to enjoy any of the movie options. I like to find the schedule before the Summer Movie Express officially begins and just jot down what’s playing which days (I think this year they added Mondays when it was previously just Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and the start time (again, used to be 9am, now it’s 11am – yikes!). This way I know well in advance which weeks are worth skipping and which weeks we may want to go two days and see both movies. You can find this years’ schedule here.
Go on Tuesdays
Tuesdays are the day we choose to go Regal for the summer movies because it is also the day that rewards members get 50% off popcorn. That $12 large popcorn just became $6 AND the large gets you a free refill. Worth it. Mondays gets you 25% off candy, but honestly I think the popcorn is a better deal.
Purchase tickets at the theater instead of through the app
I know. I literally just told you to download the app. It is easier, more convenient, less wasteful. BUT it’s also more expensive. Shocker. Regal charges a “booking fee” when you purchase tickets through the app. For the summer kids movies it’s $1 – literally doubling the price of the ticket. Sure, $1 is not a big deal but when you’re purchasing tickets for a group or just over the course of the program, it adds up. At my Regal you can purchase tickets at the concession stand when you’re getting popcorn with no booking fee attached so it’s a really simple switch.
Buy discounted Regal gift cards at Costco
Before the Summer Movie Express started we headed to Costco to pick up some Regal gift cards that we use to cover our ticket and concession cost. (The movies are just not the same for us without the popcorn!) Costco sells $50 Regal cards for $39.99 – a savings of $10 per $50 value – so pick up a few if you plan on hitting up the concession stand too!
Bring dishware for sharing
My grandma would always bring bowls so each of us could have our own instead of passing around the popcorn bucket and that’s exactly what I do with my kids today. I have a few Target plastic (ugh) bowls that I use for dips for parties and they are so easy to throw into my tote and take with us and at $0.50 a pop they’re a no brainer. If you are sharing a drink you could always bring some small reusable cups (with lids!) to portion out soda – and, again, large size gets you a free refill!
Bring blankets or jackets
Sometimes my local theater is absolutely freezing. I always have the kids bring jackets or the travel blankets I keep in the car just in case the AC kicks on during the movie. Sometimes we need them, sometimes we don’t, but better prepared than not!
I hope this post was helpful. Even if it just gave you one new idea to try out with your own kids at the movies, that’s worth it to me. Keep in mind that most of these tips can be applied to any movie outing, just just during the summer! I’d love to hear what tips and/or tricks worked for you or hear about any that I may need to add to my own bag!
