Movie Theaters Will Offer $3 Tickets for National Cinema Day — Get the Details

Tommy McArdle
·2 min read
7
AMC Theater
AMC Theater

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Labor Day weekend is all about the big screen this year.

Nonprofit The Cinema Foundation announced over the weekend that Saturday, Sept. 3, will see a nationwide discount on all movie tickets in more than 3,000 theaters and 30,000 screens, according to NPR and The Hollywood Reporter. Tickets will cost $3 for every showing in all screening formats at participating locations.

The initiative is part of the first-ever National Cinema Day, and top theater chains like AMC Entertainment, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark Theatres are each participating as they hope to entice moviegoers indoors at the unofficial end of summer.

"After this summer's record-breaking return to cinemas, we wanted to do something to celebrate moviegoing," Jackie Brenneman, Cinema Foundation president, said in a statement Sunday. "We're doing it by offering a 'thank you' to the moviegoers that made this summer happen, and by offering an extra enticement for those who haven't made it back yet."

Labor Day weekend is traditionally considered a slow one at the box office, but an August box-office slow-down this year has theater chains eager to bring moviegoers back indoors after several box office victories through the spring and early summer. According to Box Office Mojo, August is the first month since January during which no movie release has grossed $100 million or more.

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regal cinemas
regal cinemas

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"This day is for movie lovers across the U.S., celebrating how movies are meant to be seen, on the big screen," Ken Thewes, Regal chief marketing officer, said in a statement. "We are excited to be a part of National Cinema Day, offering our moviegoers the opportunity to see the latest blockbusters at Regal, no matter the format, for only $3!"

Interested movie fans can search the National Cinema Day website to find participating theaters in their area.

The Alamo Drafthouse
The Alamo Drafthouse

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The U.S. has about 40,700 movie theater screens across the country, according to Variety; roughly 74 percent of all movie theater screens in the country will host screenings for $3 during the one-day only event.

The National Cinema Foundation, founded in March as a branch of the National Association of Theater Owners, "is dedicated to shaping the future of the great collectiveexperience of moviegoing and the cinema industry," according to a statement.