New York, Aug. 30 (US): For a day, movie tickets will be only $3 in the vast majority of US theaters as part of the newly launched “National Film Day” to lure moviegoers during a quiet period at the box office.
The Film Foundation, a not-for-profit arm of the National Association of Theater Owners, has announced that September 3 will be a nationwide discount day at more than 3,000 theaters and more than 30,000 screens, the AP reports.
Major chains, including AMC and Regal Cinemas, as well as all major film studios are involved. At participating theaters, tickets will not cost more than $3 per show and per format.
Labor Day weekend is traditionally considered one of the slowest weekends in theaters. This year, the August lull has been particularly acute for exhibitors. Cineworld, which owns Regal Cinemas, has indicated a tight supply of major new releases in its recent plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
But, if National Film Day succeeds, it could flood theaters with moviegoers and possibly push them back in the fall. Before each show, ticket buyers will be offered a selection of upcoming films from A24, Amazon Studios, Disney, Focus Features, Lionsgate, Neon, Paramount, Sony Pictures Classics, Sony, United Artists Releasing, Universal and Warner Bros.
“Following a record return this summer to movie theaters, we wanted to do something to celebrate going to the movies,” Jackie Brenneman, president of the Film Foundation, said in a statement. “We do this by offering ‘thanks’ to the moviegoers who made this summer happen, and by offering additional temptation to those who haven’t yet returned.”
More than two years into the pandemic, movie theaters have rebounded dramatically over the summer, bringing business back to nearly pre-pandemic levels. Movies like “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Minions: Rise of Gru,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” and “Jurassic World Dominion” have pushed domestic summer ticket sales to $3.3 billion as of August 21, according to data firm Comscore. . That tracks 2019’s total by about 20%, but exhibitors have 30% fewer broad releases this year.
The organizers of National Film Day described the event as an experience that could become an annual event. While some other countries have experienced a similar day for cheap movie tickets, this initiative is the first of its kind on such a large scale in the US