Film Metro Tip
If you use the site FilmMetro.com to get free passes to movie screenings, I have a tip for you. Arrive very early.
When you print the passes, there is a note about arriving early, since they issue more passes than actual seats to ensure a full theater. Tonight was the first time I was going to use passes from the site and I planned to arrive an hour early.
It rained as soon as we left the house. I had given myself an hour of travel time, even though I was just going across the Bay into Tampa. I knew there might be traffic. Despite all of my best guesses, it took a whopping hour and 40 minutes to get to the theater! My only hope was that the driving rain was keeping people at home.
No such luck. When we got there, we found out the screening was already full and had been full for nearly an hour and 45 minutes before the start time. Even if we had arrived as planned, we would still have been too late.
I imagine that people who are local to the theater go and get their passes reserved very, very early and then go have dinner. Lesson learned on my part, I suppose.
Since I never see screenings listed near my house, I will probably only print passes for screenings when I have a whole afternoon and evening free.
So remember to arrive about 2 hours early for film screenings.
An hour and 40 minutes one-way to the theater?! With gas prices so high, it probably cost more to drive to/from the theater than it would to wait for the film to be near you and go to a matinee.
Of course, sometimes it’s just fun to go somewhere different, or be one of the first to see a film (all too often, coworkers’ comments about a film they saw, spoils the best parts for me!)
Unfortunately, I don’t see any options for screenings in Oregon from that site, but I have received free tickets through the newspaper or radio before.
Lesson learned in a big way. There is a reason I refuse to live or work IN Tampa. The traffic is insane for too long around “rush hour”. I’m better off staying on my side of the Bay.