Movies! We all love them! Especially when they’re free!
The library I work at has a movie license through Movie Licensing USA, which has a nifty search feature that shows what movies can be shown at X location.
Choosing the movie can be difficult. From experience I’ve found that screening movies that have just released get more people in the library program than movies that have been out for a few years. Also due to the rising costs of movie tickets and large amount of movies being shown at a time, a free screening at the library doesn’t sound that bad.
Promoting is essential. Get that promotion out there! Plan the dates around school breaks or after school. Screen the movie around a special date. In July of this year, I screen Jaws (PG-13) during Shark Week! Surprisingly a handful of people were there but because they know that hey, you’re showing a free movie and it’s around this occasion, maybe you’ll do it again next year!
Two movies that surprised me in having a large crowd, many children, were Iron Man (PG-13) and Captain America: Civil War (PG-13). Parents/caregivers were present but it struck me interested that children, some as young as 6 were glued to the movies without making a sound. Understandably, both movies are part of Marvel which is owned by Disney. There are also children books and toys with these same characters. Are kids growing up fast or is the understanding that “this is a movie” with their favorite characters has reached its zenith?
Keep on going~
Island Librarian 