By Allison Martin
Theaters around Provo, Utah, are getting students to head out to the movies for discount prices.
Young people are hitting the theaters for the weekly ritual 'Tightwad Tuesday,' nicknamed after the discounts cinemas offer moviegoers on what used to be the slowest night of the business week.
Alicia Lee, 21, an interior design major from Salt Lake City, said she is a self-proclaimed regular of Cinemark Movies 8 fifty-cent night.
'It''s a given, you gotta go,' Lee said. 'You have to take full advantage of a bargain like that.'
These marketing tactics have local cinemas packed with customers looking for a deal. Parking spaces are limited and tickets are in great demand on these special nights.
'You have to get your tickets hours in advance and show up about half an hour early so you can get seats with your friends,' Lee said. 'Then you usually meet about 15 people there. It''s chaos all around really.'
Randy Hestor, corporate spokesperson for Cinemark, said the Tuesday night special his theaters offer drive mid-week business. Movies 8 shows already released movies to the public for $1.50 for regular showings.
'We know the pressures students deal with, financially and academically.' Hestor said. 'This eases the burden.'
Movie ticket deals are available almost every night, not just on 'Tightwad Tuesday.' Wynnsong theater in the Riverwoods Shopping Center and Cinemark theater in the Provo Towne Center Mall allow local businesses to sell discount passes to the public.
These passes allow customers to buy a normal $6.50 ticket for $4.50. They are available at the Cougar Cash office in the BYU Bookstore and some local banks and grocery stores.
Wynnsong general manager Scott Dunaway said one of the purposes of offering movie values in this area is because they value the student population.
'Sometimes students are financially strapped,' he said. 'The theater is trying to make a profit, but we want to make it easy on a student budget.'
Not only do theaters offer money-saving opportunities on ticket prices, some present discounts on another bank-breaker: concessions. If a student shows their identification card, chances are they can save up to $4 on popcorn and soda deals.
Students do not have to go far to get great discounts to watch shows. On campus, the Varsity Theatre shows previously released movies for $1.50. The International Cinema in the Spencer W. Kimball Tower offers shows for free.