$5 Special

Going to the movies used to be a pretty special occasion in my house. Growing up, my family went to a movie or so a year (usually around Thanksgiving time, for whatever reason). And even when I began to really enjoy movies, I was much more of a rental girl than a theatre girl.

This has all changed. On a rainy Tuesday night last November, Matt, my friend Alison and I went to the movies to see the Departed. It had been getting rave reviews; we figured we should check it out. Matt walked up to the register and asked for two tickets. The baby-faced guy behind the counter said, five dollars. Assuming he meant five dollars apiece, Matt handed him a ten. The guy gave us five in change! Apparently, the Jackson Road Quality 16 has special Tuesday deals that appear totally unadvertised on their signs. First special? You can get a ticket for $5. (Okay, that part is advertised. The sign says “Bargain Tuesday, $5.00.”) The second special? Apparently tickets are buy one, get one free! So for five dollars, we both get in to the movie. Five dollars doesn’t even buy you popcorn and soda. This deal is stunning to both of us.

Since then, we’ve made it a habit to see movies on Tuesdays, when we can. We’ve seen Pan’s Labyrinth, The Last King of Scotland, Borat and Zodiac. If only we had discovered this gem three years ago when we started here at Michigan!