Kids & Movies: Preserving a Friday Night Pastime

True story: I recently took my kids to the movies and it cost our family of four $49 to see Gnomeo and Juliet in 3D.  This did not include dinner, dessert, gas, popcorn, candy or soda.  Nor did it include an adult beverage to make the total cost easier to swallow.  It should have been no surprise to me that our movie showing had less than a dozen people in attendance -- it was a Wednesday night -- but it got me thinking about the future of movies and family films all together.

The cost of movies has sky-rocketed with 3D being crammed down our throats at every turn.  Kids’ tickets are $11 at major venues and the typical family film clocks in at less than 90 min.  When movies are costing $50, how are families able to keep up?  Do we resist the cinema in favor of Redbox rentals? 

Perhaps for lack of advertising, or lack of options, small venues aren’t getting the patronage needed to stay in business, limiting cost-effective family options even further.  As my family recently found out, small independent run theaters with attractive ticket prices at $5 and $7, such as Enumclaw’s don’t always make good on their posted show times.  Their 5:40 p.m. showing was mistakenly reported as 6 p.m. on MovieFone and their doors were locked and theater empty when we got there at 5:50 p.m.

With spring comes the annual re-opening of the Valley 6 Drive-In – a real dinosaur for this form of entertainment.  Its multi-movie experience and discounted rates paired with the cool night air and the fun of being unbuckled in the car (as only a kid can enjoy) makes for a novel if not economical night out.  But it's not open yet, and with showtimes that start at dusk (possibly too taxing for our youngest movie goers) this isn’t always a viable option either.

How do we support and preserve this favorite Friday night pastime?  Will we be the generation that sees the decline of the movie theater?  And what will replace it?  I’d love to get your input and hear how you handle kids and movies.