Aiport movies theaters

$3 movies are great. But films are free at these airports

Saturday, September 3 has been declared National Cinema Day. And movie theaters around the country are celebrating by selling $3 tickets for all movies, all formats, all day.

Moviegoers will need to pay taxes and any ticketing service fee extras. But they won’t pay any upcharges for movies screened in IMAX, RPX, 4DX, or other special formats.

3,000 theaters with more than 30,000 screens will be participating in National Cinema Day on September 3, including many of the major chains.

If you haven’t been in a ‘real’ movie theater since, say, before the pandemic, this is a chance to see the latest blockbuster films on the large screen for cheap. Many theaters are also promising exclusive previews and special in-theater promotions.

$3 is a great movie price. Free is better.

$3 is a great price for a movie, but if you’re traveling this weekend, the Stuck at The Airport film reviewer reminds you that films are free, anytime, at a handful of airports in the United States.

Portland International Airport (PDX)

Portland’s non-profit Hollywood Theatre hosts a free 22-seat microcinema, the aptly-named Hollywood Theatre at PDX, at Portland International Airport on Concourse C. The theater showcases about an hour’s worth of films by Oregon filmmakers. And the run-down changes quarterly.

The Summer 2022 offerings include this short film about the world’s only Contact Lens Museum, located in Forest Grove, OR.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a free video art gallery located pre-security on the departures level of the International Terminal. Four new films are presented each month. And each film is 20 minutes or less in duration.

August 2022 was emerging filmmakers month and the videos are by filmmakers from the School of Cinema at San Francisco State. You can watch excerpts of those films here.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)

The see18 Film Screening room at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport shows free film shorts around the clock. The current content is drawn from Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) and TED.

The screening room is also used for art exhibitions, live performances, and special event programming.

What other airports have free movies?

Singapore’s Changi Airport shows free full-length films in movie theaters located in Terminals 2 and 3.

Let us know of other airports offering free movies.