A year + of living in quarantine (or some version of it) has us all getting creative for entertainment … especially when it comes to the kids. There’s only so much you can do at home for months on end. And the fatigue of isolation and lack of a “normal” life is truly starting to set in. But we recently found a really fun and affordable outlet that our entire family enjoyed. We rented out a movie theater!
As excessive as that sounds, it is something we’ll be doing again … FOR SURE! We were actually in North Carolina visiting my family, but it’s available here in St Louis as well. Theaters are hurting severely since the pandemic shut them down. So private theater rentals are a way to generate revenue. But it truly is a win-win for everyone!
You can invite a total of 20 people to your private theater, and the cost of the rental varies depending on the movie you choose to watch, which is another fun benefit! The movie choices go beyond just new releases. There are about 40 different movie choices, from new releases to old classics like The Body Guard and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
We chose a movie in the $99 category and brought ten people. So for $10 per person, we had an entire theater to ourselves. We had little kids in our group, and it was so fun to see their excitement and awe at having the run of the entire theater. The most surprising thing was that I shared in their excitement! I’ve been to a movie theater countless times in my life, but something about this was enchanting to me, too. Being able to talk out loud about the movie, yell down for someone to “pass the popcorn,” letting my kids roam the aisles when they lost interest in the movie, and no one complaining about my cell phone light were just a few of the highlights.
And if you do the cost breakdown, it’s a STEAL! Pre-pandemic, it cost approximately $13 per adult to go to the movie. And at $99, for 20 people, it’s $5 per person. Even if you select the most expensive movie at $250, it’s $12.50. So the same price as before but with lots more freedom and flexibility.
I HIGHLY recommend grabbing a group of friends, family, or even just your kids and enjoying a day/night at the theater … the entire theater!
Here are a few local theaters offering the rental option:
- AMC https://www.amctheatres.com/
- Marcus Theatres https://www.marcustheatres.com/group-theatre-events
- Chase Park Plaza Theatre https://www.stlouiscinemas.com/content/Theatre+Rental
