REGINA - If you haven’t seen Barbie or any other of the popular summer releases yet, you will have your opportunity this Sunday for a price of just four bucks.
Sunday, August 27 is National Cinema Day, with cinemas across North America slashing prices in order to encourage people to go out to the local cinema.
Ticket buyers can attend any movie, in any format including 3-D, for only $4 plus applicable taxes.
In Saskatchewan, several cinemas across the province are taking part, including the major chains. Here is the list of participating cinemas posted at the National Cinema Day website:
Saskatoon
- Cineplex Cinemas at The Centre
- Landmark 7
- Scotiabank Theatre Saskatoon and VIP
- Roxy Theatre
Regina
- Cineplex Cinemas Normanview
- Cineplex Cinemas Southland
- Landmark 8
Meadow Lake - Aurora Cinema
North Battleford - Capitol Theatre
Swift Current - Cinema Twin Theatre
Moose Jaw - Galaxy Cinemas
Prince Albert - Galaxy Cinemas
Lloydminster - May Cinema 6
Estevan - Orpheum
Yorkton - Tower Cinema.
National Cinema Day is being put on for the second year in a row by the Movie Theatre Association of Canada, and in the US by the Cinema Foundation. Over 3,000 locations are participating across North America with more than 30,000 screens.
The idea is to encourage people to head out to support their local movie theatres to enjoy movies the way they are meant to be seen: on the big screen, along with movie food and drinks including popcorn. The event also coincides with the tail end of summer blockbuster season, at a point in the calendar when movie cinema attendance typically dips.
Inflation has clearly had an impact on this year’s National Cinema Day; last year's event saw ticket prices set a dollar lower, at $3.
The event comes on the heels of what has been a busy last several weeks at cinemas due to the combined box office success of Barbie and Oppenheimer, both of which released on the same weekend on July 21. Barbie has since gone on to become the top grossing movie of the year in North America, surpassing Super Mario Bros. Movie at $575.4 million U.S., and earning over $1.3 billion U.S. worldwide.
Other titles playing this weekend in Saskatchewan cinemas include Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One, Gran Turismo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Meg 2: The Trench, and the new releases Blue Beetle and Strays.
"Following a record-breaking summer for movie-going, National Cinema Day is the perfect way to close out the season. Theatres nationwide are excited to join forces to welcome Canadians into our theatres to experience a day of fun at the movies with their families and friends," said Nuria Bronfman, Executive Director, Movie Theatre Association of Canada, in a news release this week.
"We are thrilled to celebrate alongside our US colleagues in thanking movie-lovers across the country for their ongoing support of the exhibition industry by inviting them to enjoy the big screen experience."
