In 2025, it costs an average of $16.08 for a single movie ticket, and $42.66 if you’re planning a date night. That’s just the national average—for some states a movie date is closer to $60.00.
With those prices, it makes sense why only 7% of Americans prefer watching movies in a theater. Compared to the cost, comfort, and convenience of streaming multiple movies from home, heading to the movie theater can seem like a luxury, if not an expensive chore at times.
Still, it’s hard to beat the magical experience of seeing a summer blockbuster on opening night with plenty of popcorn—especially when you’re staring at the silver screen with someone special next to you. But is that experience enough to make people leave their homes and dole out their hard-earned dollars?
Well, if the box office record-breaking Minecraft movie is any indicator, people are ready to hit theaters again. Plus, this year has plenty more to look forward to like the family-friendly Lilo & Stitch or How To Train Your Dragon, familiar superfan favorites like Superman and Captain America making returns in new forms, or the freaky-fun new Final Destination: Bloodlines.
To find out where hitting the theater is more affordable, we analyzed chain movie theater prices in each state to determine how much a movie ticket costs on average in 2025, as well as how much it costs to take someone on a movie date night (which includes two tickets, plus a large popcorn).
Movie Ticket Pricing Key findings
- In the US, the average movie ticket price in 2025 is $16.08, with state prices ranging from $9.28 to $23.10. And that’s assuming you’re flying solo or going dutch.
- If you’re looking to treat someone for a movie date night, you’ll be forking out $42.66 on average for two tickets and a large popcorn. Note: This doesn’t include drinks, chilled Junior Mints, or personal pizzas.
- Some states can make couples feel more financially forced to stay home streaming, while others offer more affordable theater fare. At the expensive end, you have New York at $57.92 for a date night, whereas Wyoming is much more reasonable at $28.45 for two people to enjoy a flick in theaters.
- For the savvy savers, where you go to see a movie also plays a part in your total price. At $38.33 for a movie date, Cinemark is the cheapest theater chain on average by nearly $8 with Regal being the most expensive at $46.18, and AMC isn’t far behind at $45.53.
Average movie ticket cost by state
The national average cost for movie tickets is $16.08, ranging from $9.08 per ticket in Wyoming to $23.10 per ticket in New York. That means two folks from Wyoming can get together and maybe even grab a snack for the same price as a New Yorker pays for a single ticket.
| State | Average movie ticket cost |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $13.95 |
| Alaska | $16.19 |
| Arizona | $12.47 |
| Arkansas | $15.02 |
| California | $19.66 |
| Colorado | $17.57 |
| Connecticut | $16.29 |
| Delaware | $16.32 |
| Florida | $15.98 |
| Georgia | $19.53 |
| Hawaii | $20.65 |
| Idaho | $15.04 |
| Illinois | $14.66 |
| Indiana | $16.59 |
| Iowa | $15.13 |
| Kansas | $14.38 |
| Kentucky | $16.73 |
| Louisiana | $15.80 |
| Maine | $17.99 |
| Maryland | $18.11 |
| Massachusetts | $16.29 |
| Michigan | $13.03 |
| Minnesota | $18.06 |
| Mississippi | $14.28 |
| Missouri | $17.76 |
| Montana | $13.91 |
| Nebraska | $12.49 |
| Nevada | $17.32 |
| New Hampshire | $18.32 |
| New Jersey | $18.97 |
| New Mexico | $17.70 |
| New York | $23.10 |
| North Carolina | $17.31 |
| North Dakota | $15.68 |
| Ohio | $15.72 |
| Oklahoma | $14.16 |
| Oregon | $17.44 |
| Pennsylvania | $14.03 |
| South Carolina | $14.89 |
| South Dakota | $13.82 |
| Tennessee | $14.03 |
| Texas | $16.68 |
| Utah | $14.94 |
| Virginia | $17.40 |
| Washington | $18.28 |
| West Virginia | $16.67 |
| Wisconsin | $12.57 |
| Wyoming | $9.28 |
| National Average: $16.08 |
Average movie date costs by state
The national average movie date costs $42.66, but when you see the states side-by-side, you’ll see dating is a bit more do-able in some parts of the country.
On the high end, you could pay up to $15.26 higher than the national average, and at the low end, there’s a $14.21 savings compared to the national average. That’s about another movie ticket’s worth of a price difference either way.
States where going to the movies is most expensive
A total of 32 states cost above $40 for a movie date night, and three states manage to crack the $50 dollar mark (New York, Hawaii, and Georgia). While many of the priciest places for a movie makeout sesh are found in the eastern side of the US, a few notable exceptions include Hawaii, California, and Washington.
| Rank | State | Average Date Night Cost |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | $57.92 |
| #2 | Hawaii | $51.99 |
| #3 | Georgia | $50.30 |
| #4 | California | $49.79 |
| #5 | Minnesota | $48.88 |
| #6 | New Jersey | $48.59 |
| #7 | Washington | $47.52 |
| #8 | Missouri | $46.91 |
| #9 | Maryland | $46.90 |
| #10 | Virginia | $46.41 |
States where going to the movies is least expensive
You’ll likely find much cheaper movie date night prices away from the big cities and tourist areas. In places like Wyoming, South Dakota, and Arizona, couples could pay for an extra set of drinks or snacks with their compared savings.
| Rank | State | Average Date Night Cost |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Wyoming | $28.45 |
| #2 | South Dakota | $36.11 |
| #3 | Michigan | $36.43 |
| #4 | Arizona | $37.00 |
| #5 | Nebraska | $37.38 |
| #6 | Mississippi | $37.43 |
| #7 | Montana | $37.52 |
| #8 | Wisconsin | $38.09 |
| #9 | Tennessee | $38.51 |
| #10 | Alabama | $38.56 |
But that means the cheapest movie date in America still costs around $30.00–$50.00 for most people. Is that price worth paying compared to the seemingly infinite amount of movies on streaming services?
How the price of going to the movies compares to streaming
The best streaming services typically cost anywhere from $6.99 up to $29.99+ per month. And that’s entertainment you can access any time for as long as you want. Plus, you can bundle a couple services and still get away cheaper than a single night of fun at the movies. For instance, the Disney+, Hulu, and Max (No Ads) Bundle costs $29.99 per month, which is less expensive than two movie tickets and a bucket of popcorn in every state except for Wyoming.
On top of that, streaming includes video-on-demand (VOD) rentals, which means you can see new releases for about $19.99. Though you’ll have to wait for the latest releases, you’ll pay less than movie tickets and snacks in most cases.
The price isn’t the only perk when it comes to swapping a streaming service for a movie date: you get more movies and TV shows than you can watch, you don’t have to leave home, and you’ve already paid (much less) for the snacks. No need to find baby- or pet-sitters. Need a bathroom break? You don’t have to miss a beat.
Streaming works around your life and schedule in ways that theaters simply can’t—plus, it’s less expensive. And it’s worth mentioning, many services like Netflix have their own exclusive movies and shows, too
Going to the movies can be an enchanting experience—and the only way to see the weekend drop of the latest blockbusters—but if we’re comparing costs, conveniences, and comfort: streaming wins every time.
Additional insights
We compared the average cost of theater chains to get a better idea of the prices were worth switching from our favorite theaters. It turns out Cinemark is the chain with the cheapest average price at $38.33 on average for two drinks and a large popcorn, which is almost ten dollars less than AMC ($45.53) and Regal ($46.18).
Tips for saving money on movies
- Join loyalty programs: Most major theater chains have monthly reward systems that you can join and save on fees, snacks, and ticket prices.
- Find local discount theaters: If price plays an influence on your movie-watching habits, you can also go to budget theaters that are usually significantly cheaper when it comes to ticket price AND concessions.
- Find chain discounts like $5 tuesdays: Cinemark offers discount ticket prices on Tuesdays, but showtimes can sell out quickly so plan ahead.
- See a matinee movie: Going during the day comes with a cheaper price, and you can avoid the crowds.
- Check out VOD rentals: Make an event out of staying home by renting something new, or a classic you haven’t seen yet.
Methodology
To compile this report, we collected data on the cost of two standard movie tickets for a Friday night showing of Snow White on March 21, between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., in the back row of a standard theater. The data is sourced from national chains—Regal, Cinemark, and AMC. States with insufficient chain locations were excluded (Vermont, Rhode Island). Only standard theater options were considered—though in California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, prices included theaters with laser projectors, which may result in higher pricing. All ticket prices were based on the online purchasing process, which often includes a service fee not applicable to in-person purchases. As Regal does not offer online popcorn sales, we estimated the price of a large popcorn using data from moviefoodprices.com. The same methodology applies to how we found the average cost of a movie ticket per state.
