Parents and their kids used to flock to dollar movie theaters but they seem to have disappeared with the growth of the DVD. But maybe they went away too soon.
UltraStar Cinema in San Diego says it's time to get families back in the theater on a budget and they've opened the "Play it Again Theater" in Chula Vista.
"It's for anyone that would like to see a really great movie and they want to get a bargain," said Julie Bravo with UltraStar. The theater is charging children and seniors $3.50 for a tickets, $4 for adults.
But the movies are not first run, they usually show up at the theater a few weeks after the original release.
"It's better than $9, $10 or $12, it's ridiculous," said theater customer Noni Stark. She said she not only comes for the cheap tickets but also the cheap concessions. The Play it Again Theater is also selling all-you-can-eat popcorn and drinks for $5 and hot dogs for $1.
Tu-Ahn Tran brought her niece to the theater, "They should do it more often so families can go together to movies," said Tran, "They are not going to pay like $50 for a family of five to go watch a movie."
Julie Bravo says this is like the $1 theaters of the past. "Basically I guess with inflation you can consider this the dollar theater of 10 years ago," said Bravo.
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The DVD probably helped kill the $1 theaters since people could then watch high quality movies at home.
But Bravo says going to the theater is a completely different experience.
"There's nothing like seeing it in an auditorium with other people with movie theater popcorn," said Bravo, "It's just the experience of the theater you can't get at home no what what size your TV."
The 4-dollar "Play it Again Theater" is at the Chula Vista Shopping Center at the corner of H and Broadway over by Sears.
