There’s something about going to the cinema that is just unmatched. You turn off your phone, shut yourself off from the world for a couple of hours, and immerse yourself into a whole new world.
I’m not sure there is a feeling quite like when those advertisements and trailers end, the screen goes dark, and you know that your film is about to begin.
There is anticipation in the air, along with the smell of buttery popcorn and other concession snacks, and you just know that the next couple of hours are going to be great.
With the introduction of many streaming sites such as Netflix, I think many people are forgetting about what the atmosphere in those cinemas can do to you.
There are no interruptions. No one talking the whole way through your film. No distractions – those scrolling fingers are put to bay as your mobile is switched off.
There’s no pausing to just do this and just do that. It’s an experience that just can’t be truly recreated at home.
So you need to get yourself down to your local movie theater as soon as you can. The only thing that could possibly be stopping you is not knowing how much the experience is going to cost.
But fear not, in this article, I have the ultimate guide to Cinemark and it’s pricing.
So let’s get to it!
Movie Ticket Prices
Children – 12 years and younger. Adult – age 13+. Seniors – age 62+
Evening Movie Tickets
- Children – $6.25 – $10.50
- Adult – $12.00 – $13.50
- Senior – $6.25 – $9.00
Matinee Movie Tickets
- Children – $5.00 – $10.75
- Adult – $9.25 – $10.75
- Senior – $5.00 – $9.00
3D Movie Tickets
- Children – $7.75 – $11.50
- Adults – $70.25 – $15.00
- Senior – $7.75 – $10.75
Matinee 3D Movie Tickets
- Children – $6.50 – $10.50
- Adult – $10.25 – $14.50
- Senior – $6.50 – $10.25
Evening Xtreme Screen Movie Tickets
- Children – $7.25 – $11.30
- Adult – $13.65 – $14..00
- Senior – $7.25 – $9,70
Matinee Xtreme Screen Movie Tickets
- Children – $6.00 – $12.25
- Adult – $11.25 – $12.15
- Senior – $6.00 – $9.70
Evening 3D Xtreme Screen Movie Tickets
- Children – $8.25 – $12.25
- Adult – $15.50 – $16.50
- Senior – $8.25 – $12.50
Matinee 3D Xtreme Screen Movie Tickets
- Children – $7.00 – $12.25
- Adult – $12.25 – $14.50
- Senior – $7.00 – $11.75
Evening DBOX Movie Tickets
- Children – $14.25 – $17.25
- Adult – $20.00 – $20.25
- Senior – $14.25 – $15.25
Matinee DBOX Movie Tickets
- Children – $13.00 – $17.25
- Adult – $17.25 – $18.00
- Senior – $13.00 – $15.25
Evening 3D DBOX Movie Tickets
- Children – $15.75 – $20.85
- Adult – $23.00 – £23.55
- Senior – $15.75 – $19.50
Matinee 3D DBOX Movie Tickets
- Children – $14.50 – $16.85
- Adult – $20.25 – $22.75
- Senior – $14.50 – $16.85
Tickets are subject to change, always check online/in theater for specific pricing.
Cinemark Concessions & Popcorn Prices
It’s not very often that you’ll go to the Cinemark without also treating yourself to a concession, or two, or three. Popcorn for me is an absolute must, and then if I’m feeling generous, I’ll often treat myself to some candy and a drink too.
Below you’ll find the prices of most Cinemark concessions.
Traditional Snacks
- Junior Popcorn – $5.25
- Small Popcorn – $6.25
- Medium Popcorn – $7.25
- Large Popcorn – $8.10
- Small Candy Bag – $2.40
- Medium Candy Bag – $4.10
- Large Candy Bag – $4.60
Snacks
- 1/4lb Angus Dog – $5.45
- Hot Dog – $4.45
- Nachos – $5.50
- Extra Cheese – $2.00
- Snack Pack – $5.45
- Lite Bites Pack – $6.90
- Pickle – $2.45
- Frozen Treats – $4.55
- Beef Jerky – $4.25
- Oreo Mini’s – $3.85
- Kernel Seasons – $1.60
Fries
- American Fries – $4.85
- Cheese Fries – $6.35
- Chilli Cheese Fries – $7.10
- Bacon Cheese Fries – $7.10
Burgers
- Hamburger With Fries – $7.95
- Cheeseburger With Fries – $8.55
- Bacon Cheeseburger With Fries – $9.95
- Macho Burger – $9.95
- Veggie Burger With Fries – $8.85
Pizzas
- Small Cheese Pizza – $7.00
- Large Cheese Pizza – $17.00
- Small Pepperoni Pizza – $8.00
- Large Pepperoni Pizza – $18.95
- Additional Toppings – $1.00
Desserts
- Otis Cookie (3) – $2.00
- Hand Dipped Milkshake – $4.95
- Ice Cream Float – $4.95
Fountain Drinks
- Large Drink – $5.45
- Medium Drink – $4.95
- Small Drink – $4.30
Other Drinks
- Dasani – $3.95
- Monster – $4.65
- Vitamin Water – $4.65
- Bottled Drink – $4.00
- Yup! Milk – $3.50
- MM Sparkling – $4.75
- Honest Kids – $1.70
- Honest Tea – $4.75
Hot Drinks
- Caffe Latte – $4.60
- Cappuccino – $4.60
- Caramel Macchiato – $4.60
- Caffe Mocha – $4.60
- White Choc Mocha – $4.60
- Brewed Americano – $4.60
- Hot Tazo Tea – $4.60
- Tazo Chai Latte – $4.60
- Hot Chocolate – $4.60
Combos
- Large Popcorn & Large Drink – $14.95
- Large Popcorn & 2 Large Drinks – $17.95
- Medium Popcorn & 2 Large Drinks – $16.60
- Nachos & Large Drink – $9.85
- Hot Dog & Large Drink – $9.85
- Large Popcorn & Medium Drink – $9.85
All prices are subject to change. These are the prices as of time of writing.
The History Of Cinemark Theatres
How Cinemark Came & Acquired
Cinemark made its first impressions on the United States of America back in 1984 by a man named Lee Roy Mitchell. In the beginning, you would only find these cinemas in a handful of states such as Texas, California, and Utah.
However, it didn’t take long before the chain spread like wildfire throughout the USA. And no more than 10 years later, there was a Cinemark in pretty much every single state. This was a massive achievement for what started as a small family-run business.
By 2006, the chain had acquired an additional 80 new cinemas from Century Theatres. These were purchased through both stocks and cash.
Moving forward another three years and the company actually tried to save Muvico from bankruptcy by purchasing a further four theaters from Muvico Theatres.
Move forward three more years again, and this exponential acquisition didn’t show any signs of stopping, when in 2012 Cinemark began to purchase Rave theatres.
This was a massive step forward for the chain as they started to acquire IMAX screens which are of much higher quality. However, the chain did lose some of these screens during some cost-cutting. A few other theatres were also sold to other companies such as Carmike Cinemas.
In the following two years, Cinemark was once again set to expand and renovate it’s cinemas. Many of their older cinemas were being treated to upgraded sound systems and new and upgraded XD large screens.
This meant that they would be able to show both standard 2D movies as well as Real-D 3D movies too.
Cinemark Controversy’s
In 1997 Cinemark became the head of a fair amount of controversy. The company was charged by the Department of Justice for going against the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This was because the design of the seating arrangement forced all wheelchair users to sit at the very front of the theatre.
Eventually, the company agreed to renovate its seating plans so that guests in wheelchairs had more of a choice of where they would sit.
Political Controversy
In 2008, the company faced a heavy amount of backlash as it was leaked that the CEO of the company, Alan Stock, had donated a large sum to the Proposition 8 movement. This movement tried to outlaw same-sex marriage in California.
This led to many movie-watchers boycotting the company and began many counter-campaigns from Cinemark rivals. Things did not settle down until the movement was denounced.
Cinemark Terror
During 2012, a Cinemark in Aurora, Colorado became the setting for a fatal terror attack. On this tragic day, a singular gunman opened fire inside the theater and 12 victims were pronounced dead and another 70 were confirmed to have been injured.
In 2014, the theater chains had to withdraw all screenings of ‘The Interview’ after there had been several terrorist threats that any theatre showing the film would be bombed.
Movie-Going Innovations From Cinemark Theatres
- Stadium Seating – Did you know that Cinemark is one of the very first chains to ever employ stadium-type seating? This has become a really helpful and important part of cinema seating. Of course, as mentioned above, their innovation hit a little off-mark when it first began. This is because there were no measures put in place for disabled customers to be able to sit anywhere else other than the very front row. This was, however, later revised and made more wheel-chair user-friendly.
- Unique Screen Design – The unique screen design called XD is only used in Cinemark cinemas. And pretty much every screen in the Cinemark chain uses this large-screen concept.
Cost For Cinemark Movie Theater Tickets
Considering that Cinemark is possibly one of the biggest theatre chains in pretty much the entire world, their tickets are surprisingly good for money. You’ll tend to find that most of their ticket prices beat those of other movie chains such as AMC.
Does that mean that Cinemark is selling lower quality to be able to afford these prices? Nope. Cinemark shows great movies at high picture quality with a decent sound system, and the popcorn is pretty tasty too.
They also hold charity events, have loyalty programs in place, and so much more.
Ticket Discounts & Special Offers
While Cinemark ticket prices are still pretty cheap, we all love a good discount, don’t we? There’s nothing as satisfying as getting that service just a little bit cheaper. Well, Cinemark also offers a variety of discounts and special offers so you can save those pennies.
The most popular discounts without a doubt are:
- Early Bird Discount – Get to the cinema early in the morning/day (before 1 pm) and you will be rewarded with cheaper tickets.
- All-Day Discounts – Some of Cinemark’s theaters offer discounts all day long on particular days so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for these types of discounts and events.
- Senior Ticket Discount – On particular days you’ll find that there are exclusive deals and discounts for our over 62’s.
What’s great is that these aren’t the only discounts that the chain has to offer. Take a quick look on their website and you’ll see many other discounts such as student discounts and military discounts.
Not only that but you can also sign up for the chain’s weekly newsletter via email and as a thank you, you’ll receive free concessions coupons and loads of other exciting discounts and deals!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Day Is Cheapest To Go To The Movie Theater?
If you’re hoping for the best deal on your movie tickets, then you’ll want to consider making Tuesday your movie night.
Because Tuesday has typically always been the quietest day in movie theaters you’ll often find discounts on tickets and sometimes on concessions too.
Can I Bring My Own Snacks To Cinemark?
The official stance on Cinemark’s food and drink policy is very clear and explicit. No outside food or drinks are allowed.
However, as the company policy also prohibits employees from searching guests’ bags, outside food is often ‘snuck’ into the cinema. So no you shouldn’t bring your own snacks, but I suppose it is possible.
How Many Cinemarks Are There In The US?
There are currently 521 movie theaters owned by Cinemark in the US. That is as many as a massive 5,849 screens across over 42 states.
Can You Use Cinemark Gift Cards For Food?
If you have a Cinemark gift card or e-gift card, it can be used to purchase movie tickets, concession items, or food and beverage items and the cafe and Studio Eats Restaurants.
Do Cinemark Employees Get Free Movies?
If you are a real lover of movies, you may want to get yourself a job at Cinemark. It is true, all Cinemark employees can go and see films completely free. They also get 50% off all concessions. 50% off popcorn? Yes, please.
Are XD Movies Worth it?
Is it worth spending an extra couple of dollars to see your movie on an XD screen? Yeah, I’d definitely say so. Especially so if you’re going to see an action-packed film or any movie with lots of special effects.
Can You Enter A Cinema Late?
Generally, yes, you can enter the cinema at any time. However, the obvious drawback is that you’re going to miss parts of your movie.
Some screenings, though, are labeled as Do Not Disturb (DND) and if this is the case you will not be able to enter the theater once the movie begins.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, there’s nothing that quite compares to going to the cinema. Sure you can watch a film at home but you just can’t recreate that same atmosphere.
There’s no huuuuge screen in your living room (if there is, I’m jealous) you don’t have quite the same sound quality, and you certainly can’t recreate that delicious buttery popcorn at home.
So please, please, don’t stop visiting your local movie theater. And with prices as cheap as they are at Cinemark there’s really no excuse not to.
Their tickets are very affordable as they are, and once you factor in the discounts available at certain times of the day, you really can’t grumble. You definitely get your money’s worth.
Not only that but if you sign up with the chain, you can also get even more discounts on concessions too. What more could you ask for?
So get scrolling their website or take a trip to the theaters, see what’s on that tickles your fancy, and get settled in and get taken away to a whole new universe, time, and place.
Happy watching!
If you liked this article, you might enjoy our post, ‘GI Joe Retaliation Movie Review‘.
I’d like to think I know a lot about films - at least that’s what my peers tell me after I’m done boring them to tears with my knowledge surrounding any movie that comes into the conversation!
I think the people in my life are getting a little bored of my teachings, so now I bring them to you - to hopefully find people who will get as excited as I do when talking about films. Please enjoy my reviews and commentaries, and feel free to jump in at any point and discuss.
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