If you are looking for something to do this Thursday night, why not grab a group of friends, pile into your car, and head down State Street for $1 Movie Night. Wait, $1 Movie Night?
The Free Movie Night that we have all enjoyed at Hollywood Studio Theatres at 5996 Westerville Road will now cost current Otterbein students $1.
The change was made by the Campus Programming Board, the organization in charge of Free Movie Night. CPB is a student-run organization, and according to Molly Ward, assistant director of the Center for Student Involvement and adviser of the CPB, the decision to charge for this once-free event was made by the students.
Their budget is one thing that influenced this decision.
“We needed a way to balance our budget this year. We’ve had a couple cuts and in order to provide the best entertainment for our students and provide the amount of programs that our students are use to.,” said Campus Programming Board President & junior organizational communication major, Emily Edwards.
Ward said that another thing that influenced this decision was a student suggestions to the CPB to provide more on-campus events for students.
“We wanted to provide additional events throughout the year,” she said.
All profits from $1 Movie Night will go directly back into the CPB’s budget to provide these additional events, she said.
Ward said the CPB is unsure how the students will react to this.
For junior nursing major, Lauren McCabe, the change isn’t all that bad. “It’s only a dollar, but it is more fun if it is free,” she said.
However, the change will still affect her decision to go. “I think now I will be more picky about going if I don’t like any of the movies.” McCabe said.
“We hope that people will still be willing to come to the event and pay a dollar to hang out with their friends and have a good time,” Ward said.
To appease any negative feelings toward the change, the CPB wants to enhance the experience for students attending the movie nights, Ward said. For the first $1 Movie Night this Thursday, the group will be giving out free popcorn. Either the first 200 or 250 students in line will receive a free small cup of popcorn. The amount of students who will receive free popcorn is still being negotiated with the theater.
The CPB will also be holding a promotion on Thursday, where 10 movie vouchers will be hidden around campus. The students who find these vouchers will get into a movie for free.
Other promotions the CPB wants to have throughout the year include other line incentives and theme nights, where students will be encouraged to dress up for prizes.
With the extra money that this change will provide, the CPB is looking to plan additional programs on campus, such as having more comedians and events, as well as enhancing programs it already puts on.
“Just based on this movie night we know that we can have a photo booth at homecoming and another movie night in the spring,” said Edwards. “Giving one dollar to go to all of the new movies is helping us provide new experiences for all of the Otterbein students.”
