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Lights, Camera, Action! There are more options than ever for movie lovers on a budget.
As you probably already know, going to the theater is your most expensive option. You pay about $10 for a ticket to see first-run movies, plus almost as much for the extra large drink and bathtub full of popcorn, so it’s not even really worth discussing here for the budget-minded. For not-so-new movies, you can find cheap tickets at bargain theaters, but the drinks and snacks can still really add up. Video Rental Stores Thanks to late-fee amnesty, renting movies at the store has become a lot less expensive for habitual procrastinators. Instead of racking up a charge for every single day you have a movie out past the requisite two nights, you’re usually subject to simply an additional rental charge or a restocking fee. Rental outlets tend to have a lot of promotions and coupons since they’re facing stiff competition from other markets. The best part about renting this way, though, is that store employees can help you out. If you come in asking for “the movie where the kid stuck his tongue to the pole,” it’s likely someone can determine you’re talking about A Christmas Story. Cost per rental averages around $4 to $6, depending on where you live. Best For: People who need help selecting the right movie Worst For: People who want hard to find titles Rent-By-Mail Services If you’re sick of the paltry selection at the rental outlet and you’d rather not travel further than your mailbox, a rent by mail service may be for you. In a typical subscription, you get two or three movies sent to you at a time, then more on the way after you return those selections in a prepaid envelope. You can build up a queue of literally hundreds of films, so you always have something to watch. The top dog in this market is Netflix, followed by Blockbuster Online. While Netflix also offers some movies for immediate download, Blockbuster lets you trade your by-mail selections in for new movies at the store. Subscription rates can range anywhere from $9 a month to $30 a month or more. If you don’t take out a lot of movies, it is probably not worth the money, since you have to pay either way. Best For: People who watch a lot of movies or want hard to find films Worst For: Those who only watch a couple movies a month Rental Kiosks While these “boxes” have a limited selection, they almost always have the latest releases inside them. All you do is swipe a credit card and the DVD is delivered to you, vending machine style. You have one night to watch it before you have to drop it back in the box. This means there is some driving required, and you may be out of luck if you don’t live near a city. Promotional codes abound for these kiosks. Just check the online deals boards. It’s a good way to get a movie rental for free – as long as you remember to return it on time. Regular rental fees are only a dollar or two. Best For: People who want to watch the most popular films Worst For: People who can’t remember to return the movies on time or who live in rural areas Pay Per View Pay-per-view movies are the ultimate guilty pleasure. They’re one of the most expensive rental options, but you don’t even have to leave the living room to get them. You can get films that are newly released to video – and sometimes exclusive events ASAP. The problem is, you’re out a chunk of change and you only get the movie for 24 hours, no matter what. If you want it for longer, you have to order it again. At $3.99 to $5.99 a pop depending upon the provider and resolution quality, it can get expensive pretty fast. Some cable providers offer free On Demand movies to premium channel subscribers, but just subscribing to the channels can cost $10 to $20 a month. If you don’t have cable or satellite television, neither option is even available to you. Best For: People who like instant gratification Worst For: People on a tight budget Internet Downloads This is a relatively new way to rent movies. You download them from a website directly to your computer. Some sites that offer movie downloads include CinemaNow, iTunes and Amazon.com. Prices usually range between $2 and $10. Typical rental times range from 24 hours to seven days. You must have a fast Internet connection or you may be downloading for hours. Best For: People who have good Internet speed and a reliable connection Worst For: People that don’t like watching movies on a PC or are concerned about Internet security The option that’s best for you really depends on your priorities and your lifestyle. Your preference may even change depending on the movie you’d like to see, how much you’d like to spend and how ambitious you feel on a particular day. If your prime goal is to save some cash, you can’t do better than going to your local library and checking out some DVDs for free. Just remember, you have to return those on time, too.
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It used to be that if you wanted to see a film you had to get in your car and drive to the movie theater. Then the video tape came along and people were able to watch their favorite films from the comfort of their couches — but they had to drive to and from the video store first. Nowadays, you can practically have movies hand delivered to you. You don’t have to go anywhere at all to have entertainment at your fingertips.
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