17 Jul, 2013
The cheapest ways to catch a movie in Ottawa
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|Ottawa|parenting
This is the continuation of yesterday’s post on the topic of movies.
I am determined to make this The Summer of Film here at Casa Fishbowl!
We went to a special screening of Despicable Me 2 the other day and we had a good time. Although it had some very funny moments I’m not convinced that it was as good as the first one. But that is neither here nor there. We were lucky that our admission was covered – thanks to freebie passes that were gifted to us – but that’s doesn’t happen every day.
So here’s the question: how can we have a Summer of Film and have it not cost an arm and a leg?
Well, we have options! I’m ranking them here from cheapest to most expensive.
- 1) FREE: Borrow DVDs from the local library. OPL has a lot of great films but you have to go there in person to see what they’ve got. It’s hit and miss, but you can’t beat the price.
- 2) FREE: Swapping DVDs with friends is also a great way to save a few dollars.
- 3) ALMOST FREE: Find a Zip.ca kiosk near you. Few people I’ve spoken to about it have heard about their movie kiosks. They offer 24-hour DVD rentals and most of their offerings are only $1. Blu-Ray and new releases are only $2. A total steal.
- 4) PRETTY CHEAP: Catch an older release at Rainbow Cinemas. I’ve mentioned Rainbow here before. You can watch a film there for $2.50 on Tuesdays. Now that’s a deal!
- 5) RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE: Netflix! I think we’re among the last people on the planet to clue in that there are endless films on rotation on Netflix. The first month is free, then it’s $8/month after that. Considering how many movies we watch this is money well-spent for us, but I guess we’ll see how we feel after a month.
- 6) NOT FREE, BUT A GREAT DEAL: Theatre viewing is last on my list because it’s not the cheapest option, but in some cases it might be the ONLY option if there’s a special film you want to see. If you buy a membership the ByTowne Cinema it is a pretty inexpensive way to see a movie on the big-screen. Memberships are $11.00 and are good for 12 months. Membership entitles the card holder you to a discounted admission price of $7.00 per film. It’s the best place to catch an international or independent movie. And some are family-friendly too.
- 7) STILL ON THE CHEAP SIDE – the Port Elmsley Drive-In, which I wrote about here. On Thursdays you can bring a carload of people for only $20. Not bad eh?
Of course you can rent a movie right off the TV. We have Apple TV, and each download is $5.99 or so. I think it’s the same price if you rent it through Bell or Xbox.
Got anything to add? I’d love to hear it.
And just for the heck of it I’m tracking all the movies we watch together as a family (and associated costs!) right here.