Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Chicago

This page is designed to compile all known ways to attend a free advanced movie screening, both online and offline. If you live in Boston and know of other providers or offers in your area, please leave a comment and help us out.

General Providers

When you attend enough advanced screenings, you start to notice that the same providers keep sponsoring them. So it's in your interest to find out more about these providers.

1. Local Radio

Generally, local radio stations can give out screening passes six ways:
  • Listen to win: "Our 29th caller gets tickets for two to see.."
  • Pass pick-up: "Drop by our station office and pick up passes..."
  • Expo or festival: "Stop by our booth and be sure to grab tix..."
  • Follow the van: "Our wacky afternoon DJ has driven the prize van over to some local business and is giving away free hot dogs and movie passes!"
  • Point system: "Join our listeners club, and when you earn enough points..."
  • Online contests: "Enter by Monday. We'll select five winners then to attend..."
Find the occasional screening contests at 93 XRT, 97.9 The Loop, Love 100.3, Q101, Mix 101.9, V103, and Kiss 103.5. Meanwhile, WLS 890 and B96 have listener clubs.

Feel free to find other local stations by using Radio Locator or your favorite Internet search engine.

2. Local Print

The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times each lack a contest page, so you may want to read through their print editions and look for screening offers, if any.

You should also look for any weekly or community papers that you might find in libraries or in colorful boxes along city sidewalks. The Chicago Reader and Chicago Weekly offer nothing online, but maybe you'll find something by flipping through their print versions.

3. Local TV

NBC 5 normally offers only movie-related prizes, but has on occasion listed a screening contest as well. Then visit the relevant pages at MyFOX, CBS 2, ABC 7, WGN 9, and My50 TV.

4. Local Internet

Time Out is a helpful source of screenings; all you do is click on the movie offer and enter your e-mail address.

Edge Chicago has
a great contest page with frequent and consistent movie offers. Understand that the site addresses gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender culture, so it's important to keep an open mind. After all, a contest is a contest, and anyone can enter. Besides, Edge is just one of several sponsors of a single screening -- they get some passes, and maybe a radio station gets others. So if you win passes, you'll be in a diverse crowd; it's not like they check your sexuality at the door.

Hollywood Chicago is a blog (don't knock it, because you're reading one right now) that tries to compile some screenings nationwide from a few other, better sources. But it can't hurt to look, especially for offers in Chicago.

5. Regional and National Internet

Blackfilm is based in New York City, but will sometimes include Chicago when it offers a screening in multiple cities.

Sign up for a free membership in the Landmark Theatres Film Club and receive notices about screenings by e-mail. Do the same with The Cinema Source.

Film Metro has gone national and may offer screenings just about anywhere. Take a look and see if your city is included.

Be sure to check the national forums at Fat Wallet and Slick Deals as well. THE MOVIE OUTSIDER has a representative that posts offers on each of those forums, and compiles a list of screenings by city that links back to here. More importantly, other members in the forums will relay info about multi-city screenings sponsored by the movie studios and PR firms. Use these sites in tandem, and you'll get about as much publicly available information as possible.

Specific Offers

27 DRESSES (otherwise opens January 11)

Bloomingdales screening -- found on Fat Wallet
Date, time, and location unknown

THE BUCKET LIST (already in limited release)

Film Metro screening
Tuesday, Jan. 8, time and location unknown

ONE MISSED CALL (otherwise opens January 4)

Film Metro screening
Thursday, Jan. 3, time and location unknown

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I Think This Site Is Dead.

Anonymous said...

I loved the initial info here. Great source for local links, if you were lucky enough to be listed:) I've found several local screenings (I'm in Austin area) through filmmetro and freeflick.net. I'd recommend both highly!