Cinema on a Budget

Sometimes it’s fun to see a movie at the cinema and not have to pay a buttload of money for your ticket. Check out this list of local theaters that offer cheap or discounted tickets! In order based on location.

Central Cinema (Capitol Hill/Central District) -- $7 tickets if bought more than 24 hours in advance, $9 at the door. They also feature 99-cent showings during the week. Happy hour prices from 5:30-6:30.

Three Dollar Bill Cinema (Capitol Hill/Various) -- Offer viewings at various venues. Signature event is the Seattle Queer Film Festival held every October. Every first Monday at Re-Bar they host “Cineoke” where you can sing along. $8 - Doors open at 6:30, show 7pm.

Big Picture (Belltown) -- 21+ - $10.50 matinee (before 4:45) & happy hour tickets (Mon-Thurs shows before 6:30 - Drink specials too!). $18 “Bagels & Bloodys Sunday” screening (includes 1 movie ticket, bagels & cream cheese, plus a choice of a Bloody Mary, Mimosa or beer.  

SIFF Cinemas (Lower Queen Anne) -- offer $8 matinee tickets (before 4pm). If you plan on seeing lots of movies there they also have an annual membership ($55) that includes movie discounts, free popcorn, special events, and more.

Majestic Bay Theaters (Ballard) - Matinee prices for $10.50 before 4pm

Sundance Cinemas (U-district) -- All shows 21+ - Cheapest tickets are always the first matinee of the day, plus free or discounted parking. You can also join their (free) Sundance Partners Loyalty Program to earn points toward tickets.

Grand Illusion (U-District) -- $9 tickets (cash or check only) . You can also buy a $30 membership and get $4 off your ticket price for a year.

Varsity Theatre (U-District) -- Matinee (before 5pm) tickets for $8.50, students with valid UW ID (maybe Cornish too??) tickets for $8, Senior tickets $8.50 & Senior Tuesday $6.75.

The Crest (Shoreline) -- $4 weekday tickets

Ark Lodge Cinemas (Columbia City) - $8.75 for all movies before 4pm. Some nearby restaurants/lounges offer a discount when you show your same-day ticket.

Federal Way Gateway Movies 8 (Federal Way) -- $2 tickets, $1 on Tuesdays. Extra $2 for 3D films.

Blue Mouse Theatre (Tacoma) -- Tickets range $3-5

The Edmonds Theater (Edmonds) -- $8 tickets or $6 for shows before 5pm

During the summer, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings Regal Theaters feature $1 G and PG movies.

Lots of theaters offer cheaper tickets during the daytime (matinee) showings. Each theater is different, but it’s worth looking into if you’re looking for a cheaper ticket.

Good luck & enjoy!

Finding Cheaper Tickets for Theater

Some of us aren’t able to use the wonderful TeenTix anymore, and it can be a hard thing to realize you’re expected to pay much more per ticket whenever you want to see a show around town. Luckily, there are many theaters that still offer student discount prices. There are also a few resources to look into for some cheaper tickets for the shows you want to see!

To make theater more accessible, some theaters offer student rush tickets 30-45 minutes before each performance. These tickets can only be purchased in person at the box office and you must have proof of enrollment to obtain the discount. Local theaters that are offering this discount include Paramount, 5th Avenue Theater, The Moore, Neptune

Seattle Repertory Theater offers a student discount for $18 tickets for all shows, a 50% military discount for those in active duty, veterans and other immediate families, and discounts for those 65 years and older.

Seattle Repertory Theater also offers 1/2 price rush tickets 30 minutes before each performance, these aren't just for students, they're for anybody. They also offer "Pay What You Can" tickets sold day-of-show only, based on availability.

5th Avenue Theater also offers $20 Day-of-Show tickets for students and patrons under 25 years old, as well as for theater arts industry employees.

Seattle Arts Crush - presented by Theatre Puget Sound - features free and discount theater tickets during October. Check out Artscrush.org to find free or reduced tickets.

If you’re a AAA Member, check out this list of places you can get discounts in Seattle!

At ArtsWest, student tickets are always $17 - discounted from the regular $37.50

Free tours!

Paramount Theater offers free tours on the first Saturday of every month.

Moore Theatre offers free tours on the on the second Saturday of every month.

Neptune Theatre offers free tours on the third Saturday of every month.

Other resources for discounted tickets:

StubHub

Theater Mania

CheapTickets.com

GoldStar

Theatre in Seattle

Many other theaters such as the ones at UW, ACT, Theater Puget Sound, and many more offer student/senior/military/under 25/etc. discounts to make seeing theater as accessible as possible. Always do some research and check out the theater's website to see what discounts you might be eligible for.   

Go see some theater! Good luck!