Adrian Paul, an orc from Weta, Stan Lee and Kevin Sorbo were some of the attractions at Salt Lake Comic Con 2013
The Third best thing about Salt Lake City: Free Movies
If you are diligent, you could see four to five movies a week on a large screen. With the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, numerous independent film makers, Salt Lake Community College’s new Center for Arts and Media, and landscape that hasn’t yet been completely ruined by development and right wingers who believe that the land belongs specifically to them and is theirs to destroy, Utah is known as a film Mecca of sorts.
The Utah Film Center
The Utah Film Center partners with various organizations around the state to bring free documentary and cultural films often paired with an expert about the subject or someone who worked on the film to hold a discussion afterwards. The idea is to have films build community. The films offer a shared experience that gives audience members something to talk about. The most notable partner is the Salt Lake City Public Library downtown where the Utah Film Center shows a movie almost every Tuesday night.
Getting to see first run films before they come out can happen with the Utah Film Center. Members were recently invited to showings of Disney’s Bears and Million Dollar Arm. However, if you can’t afford the tiny $30 individual membership, there are other ways to get free screenings without paying for them with cash.
Free First Run Films
Film studios offer promotional screenings to the public to fill empty seats during press screenings. Movies can be shown from as far as a month in advance to as soon as Wednesday with a Thursday evening release scheduled. Places to get movie screening tickets include City Weekly, gofobo.com and advancedscreenings.com, which lists every promo going on for Salt Lake City and surrounding areas.
People who win passes must redeem those passes for tickets. Theaters are intentionally overbooked. The best way to find out how the movie theater exchanges passes for tickets is to call the movie theater that is hosting the promo screening. The theaters change the procedures often enough to keep regulars guessing.
The Gateway Megaplex hands out numbers when people come in. Everyone is expected to be back between 5 and 6 p.m. and line up according to those numbers. Tickets are given out at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. showing.
Jordan Commons starts handing out tickets at 4 p.m. for a movie starting at 7 p.m. That means that you will want to get their early. People will line up early for a popular show, sometimes at opening. Getting there at 4 p.m. is almost always too late, and 5 p.m. is downright too many.
The Cineplex on State and 3300 S hands out general seating tickets at open. That means arriving around 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. for a 7 p.m. showing to line up for the good seats.
Again, it is important to note that procedures may change, and that a pass does not guarantee a seat. However, if you have the time, it isn’t a bad way to get to know some cool people that go to the free movies a lot. You may even be able to get some reading done if you bring a book. (See examples of free movies.)
The Utah Film Center
The Utah Film Center partners with various organizations around the state to bring free documentary and cultural films often paired with an expert about the subject or someone who worked on the film to hold a discussion afterwards. The idea is to have films build community. The films offer a shared experience that gives audience members something to talk about. The most notable partner is the Salt Lake City Public Library downtown where the Utah Film Center shows a movie almost every Tuesday night.
Getting to see first run films before they come out can happen with the Utah Film Center. Members were recently invited to showings of Disney’s Bears and Million Dollar Arm. However, if you can’t afford the tiny $30 individual membership, there are other ways to get free screenings without paying for them with cash.
Free First Run Films
Film studios offer promotional screenings to the public to fill empty seats during press screenings. Movies can be shown from as far as a month in advance to as soon as Wednesday with a Thursday evening release scheduled. Places to get movie screening tickets include City Weekly, gofobo.com and advancedscreenings.com, which lists every promo going on for Salt Lake City and surrounding areas.
People who win passes must redeem those passes for tickets. Theaters are intentionally overbooked. The best way to find out how the movie theater exchanges passes for tickets is to call the movie theater that is hosting the promo screening. The theaters change the procedures often enough to keep regulars guessing.
The Gateway Megaplex hands out numbers when people come in. Everyone is expected to be back between 5 and 6 p.m. and line up according to those numbers. Tickets are given out at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. showing.
Jordan Commons starts handing out tickets at 4 p.m. for a movie starting at 7 p.m. That means that you will want to get their early. People will line up early for a popular show, sometimes at opening. Getting there at 4 p.m. is almost always too late, and 5 p.m. is downright too many.
The Cineplex on State and 3300 S hands out general seating tickets at open. That means arriving around 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. for a 7 p.m. showing to line up for the good seats.
Again, it is important to note that procedures may change, and that a pass does not guarantee a seat. However, if you have the time, it isn’t a bad way to get to know some cool people that go to the free movies a lot. You may even be able to get some reading done if you bring a book. (See examples of free movies.)
Read the rest of the list:
Bonus #1: Secret places like Gilgal Gardens, the Artesian Wells in the middle of Downtown, and the Warm Springs on the outskirts near the abandoned Children’s Museum building.
Bonus #2: Artisan foods like The Charming Beard, The Chocolate Conspiracy and Beehive Cheese
- City Cakes and Café
- Salt Lake Community College Volleyball team
- Free Movies
- Salt Lake Comic Con
- Environmentalist Community
- Ruby Snap
- Salt Lake City Public Library
- Sam Weller's and the King’s English Bookstores
- Downtown Farmers Market
- Red Butte Concerts
Bonus #1: Secret places like Gilgal Gardens, the Artesian Wells in the middle of Downtown, and the Warm Springs on the outskirts near the abandoned Children’s Museum building.
Bonus #2: Artisan foods like The Charming Beard, The Chocolate Conspiracy and Beehive Cheese