# do theaters still do the free movie for xmas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 25, 2017, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264 "2017-12-25T08:07:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2017, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/1 "2017-12-25T08:07:01Z")
when I was a kid there were movie chains that would run a free movie for the weekend before and the day of xmas it was usually a family movie or the turkey of the year like the original muppet movie or popeye (my favorite robin willams movie)or batteries not included and a few others over the years Do they still do this or did it die out? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2017, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/2 "2017-12-25T08:53:52Z")
Never heard of it. In recent years holiday season releases have become a thing. With screens in demand for first run releases including likely Oscar contenders, I doubt many theaters would devote the screen time to a freebee. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/3 "2017-12-25T12:28:03Z")
Plus, believe it or not, Christmas Day is a close second behind Thanksgiving as the busiest day of the year for theaters. My theory is the cooks are getting the kids and other useless relatives out from underfoot while they get the feast ready. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/4 "2017-12-25T14:16:07Z")
The first movie I ever saw was one of these deals. The merchants in town put on a free showing of _Boys Town_ (that’s how long ago it was) the Saturday before Xmas so the parents could dump the kids off at the theater while they went shopping. I have not heard at all of any place doing this in **mumble** years. Christmas is a surprisingly big day for movie theaters. Lots of bucks roll in. I doubt that any of them would give up the time for a paying show to have a freebie. (I recently found the ad for this showing in an online archive of the town newspaper so I know the actual date of my first movie experience.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/5 "2017-12-26T02:37:23Z")
[Moderating] Fixed typos in thread title at OP’s request. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/6 "2017-12-26T02:56:49Z")
My family and I went to the movies today (_Star Wars_.) We had to check two different theaters to find seats, and when we got to the theater, the parking lot was full and every one of the titles seemed to have healthy attendance. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/7 "2017-12-26T03:12:25Z")
My local multiplex shows children’s movies for free or cheap every Tuesday (or is it Monday?) during the summer. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/8 "2017-12-26T04:28:19Z")
Never heard of it. With most of my Jewish friends it was a family tradition to go to the movies on Christmas. That was before the large influx of non-Christian Asian immigrants. I’m thinking it’s a pretty big revenue stream that they wouldn’t want to give up. In an area without a large non-Christian population I could see it being different. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/9 "2017-12-26T05:16:33Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > In an area without a large non-Christian population I could see it being different. It’s a big day for movie theaters in those areas too, and AFAIK it has been for a long time. My grandmother’s family would always see a movie on Christmas back in the 40s. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/10 "2017-12-26T09:25:35Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Never heard of it. With most of my Jewish friends it was a family tradition to go to the movies on Christmas. That was before the large influx of non-Christian Asian immigrants. I’m thinking it’s a pretty big revenue stream that they wouldn’t want to give up. In an area without a large non-Christian population I could see it being different. I remember Jon Stewart doing a Daily Show bit about how when he was a kid “Jews Go To The Movies Day” was really about Jews going to the movies, before it got all commercialized. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/11 "2017-12-26T09:42:13Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Never heard of it. With most of my Jewish friends it was a family tradition to go to the movies on Christmas. That was before the large influx of non-Christian Asian immigrants. I’m thinking it’s a pretty big revenue stream that they wouldn’t want to give up. In an area without a large non-Christian population I could see it being different. A lot of Christians go to the movies on Christmas too. However, they usually wait until the evening after dinner and there are no good football games on TV. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/12 "2017-12-26T15:13:19Z")
Huh. Nominally Catholic, movie-going @ Christmas has been a thing for us since 1990, when _The Godfather 3_ was released on Christmas Day. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/13 "2017-12-26T23:24:55Z")
Here’s another “Never heard of free movies on Christmas.” I’m 58, which is old, but still postdates _Boys Town_. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/14 "2017-12-26T23:44:03Z")
Never heard of 'em, either, but Google says they’re a thing in some places. Near the top of the first page are Sycamore, IL, and El Paso. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-theaters-still-do-the-free-movie-for-xmas/805264/15 "2017-12-27T21:41:24Z")
Christmas is indeed a busy day for movie theaters. I worked a double-shift at one when I was in high school, and while it wasn’t our biggest day ever or anything, it was certainly steady all day. My theory is that on Christmas, you go nuts with a frenzy of opening presents in the morning, you superficially check out your new stuff, and by noon the family is just sitting there staring at each other, going “well, what do we do now?” There’s no sports to watch on TV, no place open for shopping, so everyone just heads out for a movie.