Minneapolis Movie Deals for Students
Over the past two years, the movie industry has grappled with one all-encompassing decision: to stream or not to stream. With the pandemic came a surge of competition from the plethora of streaming services, leading to a glimpse at extinction for movie theaters and an overload of content for us viewers. With the latest box office success stories like Shang-Chi and Free Guy, theaters are eager to redeem themselves as seats fill back up. As a broke college student, I thought I’d help my fellow movie-lovers make the transition back to the big screen with a few of my favorite local theater deals near us:
St. Anthony Main
The historic Minneapolis Theater is tucked into the scenic strip of restaurants, parks, and businesses along the Mississippi river on St. Anthony’s Main Street. It’s the ideal location for a dinner-and-a movie date night or a spontaneous Sunday matinee showing. This theater is old-timey and quaint, a perfect recipe for audiences to cozy up and relax in front of the big screen. St. Anthony Main Theater has a variety of movies showing, from blockbusters like the latest Bond movie, to more indie movies highlighted by the MSP film society, or even a showcase of Latinx films starting the first week in October. They also provide open captioning for all films, making moviegoing easily accessible for all viewers.
Tickets are $6.75 on weekdays and $7 on weekends for any student with a valid student ID, or $5 for everyone on Tuesdays.
Coffman Memorial Union Theater
Obviously, as both movie-lovers and college students, we’re always looking for the easiest, most affordable option. Enter the solution, right here on our own home base: Coffman Memorial Union Theater. They host free, weekly movie showings on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.. This year they’ve already shown movies like Mean Girls and Minari, so there’s always something for everyone. If you find yourself unoccupied on a weekend night, this is by far the more efficient way to get your movie fix.
The Heights Theater
For anyone looking for the classic, elegant, vintage moviegoing experience, The Heights Theater in Columbia Heights is a must-see. From crystal chandeliers, ornate red wallpaper, to (obviously) a grand piano in the lobby, this theater feels like walking into a 1940s red-carpet premiere. The Heights is now playing classic movies like The Shining, Fargo, and Singin’ In The Rain for their 95th Anniversary of Cinema, along with more contemporary films like The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Tune in during October for their Hitchcock film showcase or come back in December for their iconic Annual Holiday Extravaganza! And the best part is, whenever you decide to go, the theater always allows audiences to bring in treats from the next-door Dairy Queen (*cue tears of happiness*).
General admission for all is $12.
Landmark Theaters - Lagoon Cinema
If you’re not so much of a movie buff but still looking for a more modern, everyday movie theater to escape to on a weekend night, look no further. Lagoon Cinema in Uptown is complete with theater seats you can melt into, funky movie-theater carpeting, and the most anticipated films of the year like Dune and Dear Evan Hansen. They have an app for giveaways and rewards for loyal moviegoers, as well as ticket deals like $7 movie Tuesdays.
Ticket prices start at $12.
It’s important to remember that supporting any theater is still supporting struggling businesses! Places like AMC and Marcus Theaters are still feeling the weight of Covid and empty auditoriums. So if you’re feeling guilty about choosing the big industry names over local ones, just remember: It doesn’t matter where you go, it just matters that you do go.
St. Anthony Main Theater
