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February 17, 2017

Powering Up the Star Wars Universe

We crunched the numbers to calculate how much energy it would take to power up the iconic weapons and ships from the Star Wars universe. So…just how many batteries does it take to power Star Wars? We’ll cover your favorites—lightsabers, blasters, X-wings and yes, even the Death Star.

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there were lightsabers, there were blasters and there were ships. But all this cool stuff needed power. Lots of power. Let’s check out the power needs of some of your favorite “Star Wars” technology and what it would take to power up the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance.

To better understand power terminology, we took a look at the common energy usage of things in the world around us. One AA alkaline battery contains 3.9 watt-hours. A car battery contains 722 watt-hours. The Tesla Powerwall has 7 kilowatt-hours. One barrel of oil is equivalent to 1.7 megawatt-hours. A nuclear reactor yields 1,000 megawatts. And for comparison, the Earth’s annual energy consumption is 104,426 terawatt-hours per year.

Droids

We can’t forget about the droids that inhabit the “Star Wars” galaxy. They need power to function too.

We don’t have droids as complicated as R2D2 and C3PO just yet, but we do have ASIMO. Billed as “the world’s most advanced humanoid robot,” ASIMO, developed by Honda, stands 4’3” tall and is capable of walking, talking and helping people.

ASIMO is powered by a rechargeable 51.8-volt lithium ion battery that lasts only for an hour. That’s equivalent to 132 AA batteries or 1 car battery.

K-2S0

Droids would likely be as energy efficient as humanoids in the “Star Wars” universe, otherwise you would expect slaves or clones to replace them. Assuming a 2.14-meter-tall aluminum alloy body (or similar), we can estimate the weight is 470 pounds each.

To power a K-2S0, it would take 19,946 kilojoules, which is equivalent to 5,537 watt-hours. To put it into perspective, that’s 1,420 AA batteries which equals 8 car batteries, 1 Tesla Powerwall, 1.6 oz of oil per hour or 6 hundredths of a percent of a nuclear reactor.

BB-8

Assuming BB-8 has a similar energy efficiency as K-2S0 and knowing that BB-8 is 0.97 meters tall, calculation results are 7.92 x 109 joules, which is equivalent to 2,202 watt-hours. That is equivalent to 565 AA batteries, 4 car batteries, 1 Tesla Powerwall, 1 pint of oil per hour or 2 hundredths of a percent of a nuclear reactor.

Lightsabers

Lightsabers are powered by high-output diatium power cells, which are capable of recharging naturally. The blade neither radiates heat nor expends energy until it comes into contact with the solid item it is striking.

Qui-Gon Jinn used his lightsaber to cut into the thick blast doors of Nute Gunray’s bridge. The doors were 2.35 meters tall and over a meter thick. Qui-Gon’s lightsaber cut a circular area approximately 0.9 meters in diameter.

In order to melt 0.87 cubic meters of conventional steel, it would require approximately 1.69 gigajoules of thermal energy. That is equivalent to 469,482 watt-hours, slightly more energy than one lightning bolt.

One lightsaber has the equivalent energy of 120,380 AA batteries (that’s 6,000 pounds of batteries or 250 gallons, enough to fill-up a kiddie pool). It’s also equivalent to 650 car batteries (that’s 26,000 pounds, exceeding the 20,000-pound maximum weight of a single-axle semi-trailer). One lightsaber is also equivalent to 67 Tesla Powerwalls, 0.28 barrels of oil (5.5 gallons of gas), one nuclear reactor or 0.05 seconds of Earth’s power supply.

Kylo Ren’s Lightsabers

It doesn’t appear there is any reason to assume that Kylo Ren’s lightsaber was capable of generating any more or less power than any other lightsaber.

In one scene, he is shown using the crossguard to burn through Finn’s jacket, causing a small burn. A small lightsaber-sized second-degree burn requires about 166 joules of energy as a low-end estimate. It seems it could be assumed that the crossguard blades are capable of outputting similar power to the full-size blade.

How many batteries would it take to power a lightsaber that uses 2.5 gigajoules of energy or 694,500 watt hours? The answer is 180,570 AA batteries or 975 car batteries. That’s equivalent to 101 Tesla Powerwalls, 0.42 barrels of oil, 1.5 nuclear reactors or 0.07 seconds of Earth’s power supply.

Blasters

According to Han Solo, ancient Jedi weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side. Firing bursts of focused particle beam energy (bolts), a blaster gets its power from two main components: Energy-rich blaster gas from a cartridge and a replaceable power pack.

The blaster bolts carry no heat themselves, but materials struck by them deform and fuse like when Princess Leia blasted a hole through a metal grate using an E-11 blaster rifle while escaping from the Death Star.

A hole was blasted big enough for Chewbacca to pass through, probably about 3 feet wide. An estimate on the mass of the grate is approximately 54 kilograms. Roughly 6.34 megajoules is needed to vaporize 1 kilogram of iron, so the blast yielded approximately 342 megajoules.

Power usage is comparable between lightsabers and blasters. Jedi in the “Star Wars” universe have been known to use power packs to charge up their lightsabers.

The 342 megajoules to power a baster is equivalent to 24,360 AA batteries, 132 car batteries, 14 Tesla Powerwalls (that would weigh as much as two cows or half a Bantha), 0.06 barrels of oil (approximately 1 gallon of gas; that’s $2.29 per shot!), 1 nuclear reactor for three blasts a second, or 0.01 seconds of Earth’s power supply.

Star Destroyer

It’s one of the most menacing ships in the galaxy. In “Empire Strikes Back,” we see an Imperial Star Destroyer blasting asteroids out of its way. If we approximate the standard asteroid mass as about 33,965,759 kilograms with a heating capacity of iron at 447 J/kg·K, then we could calculate that it would take 30 terajoules (8,333 megawatt-hours) to melt the asteroid.

That’s 2.1 billion AA batteries (in the U.S., 2.9 billion AA batteries are thrown away every year!), 11.5 million car batteries (16 million cars were sold in the U.S. last year), 1.2 million Tesla Powerwalls, 4,901 barrels of oil (at 35 mpg, you could drive around the Earth 130 times or make 6 round-trips to the moon), 10,000 nuclear reactors for a blast every three seconds or 2.5 seconds of Earth’s power supply (enough for 207,000 people for one day).

To vaporize the asteroid, it would take 250 terajoules or 69,400 megawatt-hours. That’s 17.8 billion AA batteries, 96 million car batteries (71 million cars were sold globally last year), 9.9 million Tesla Powerwalls (3 for every apartment in New York City), 41,000 barrels of oil (enough to drive a third of the way to the sun), 270,000 nuclear reactors to fire once every second or 21 seconds of Earth’s power supply (one blast from Earth every 21 seconds).

A turbolaser must yield approximately 3,750 terawatts of power, releasing energy four times that of the Little Boy atomic bomb.

X-Wing Fighter

Sometimes it isn’t always about the size of the ship in an intergalactic fight— as long as you are packing the right firepower. In “A New Hope,” when a blast from Luke Skywalker’s X-wing fighter struck the surface of the Death Star, it created a blast likely powerful enough to have vaporized at least one cubic meter of armor.

Conservative estimates put the output of the four X-wing cannons at approximately 60 gigajoules of energy, which equals 16.67 megawatt-hours. That’s 4.27 million AA batteries (enough batteries to go 8 times around the Large Hadron Collider, and stacked up, they’d reach space twice!), 23,153 car batteries, 2,381 Tesla Powerwalls, 9.08 barrels of oil, 0.01667 running hours of a nuclear power plant or 5 milliseconds of Earth’s power supply.

Snowspeeders

The snowspeeders are outfitted with improvised weaponry, including de-icing and heating elements and two laser canons compared to the X-Wing’s four. To power a snowspeeder, it would take 30 gigajoules, which is equivalent to 8.33 megawatt-hours.

That’s equivalent to 2.13 million AA batteries, 11,576 car batteries, 1,190 Tesla Powerwalls, 4.54 barrels of oil, 0.008335 running hours of a nuclear power plant or 2.5 milliseconds of Earth’s power supply.

Death Star

Remember when the first incarnation of this formidable battle station destroyed Leia’s home planet of Alderaan?

Using a beam formed by several beams firing from its Concave Dish Composite Beam Superlaser, the Death Star was able to destroy an Earth-sized planet with a binding energy of roughly 2.25 x 1032 joules. Comparatively, our sun produces roughly 3.846 x 1026 watts. How could one moon-sized battle station produce that much power? Using a ‘hypermatter’ reactor, of course.

The 2.25 x 1032 joules needed to power a Death Star converts to 6.25 x 1028 watt-hours. That’s equivalent to 16 octillion AA batteries (stacked end to end, these batteries would measure 84.5 billion light-years, almost enough to stretch across the observable universe of 92 billion light-years), 86 septillion car batteries (80% of the mass of Jupiter), 8 septillion Tesla Powerwalls (150 times the weight of Earth) or 37 sextillion barrels of oil (enough to satisfy the Earth’s oil consumption for 1 trillion years). The Death Star I uses power equivalent to 2 quintillion nuclear reactors to fire once every 24 hours (each blast would require an amount of uranium equal to the mass of Mercury). The Death Star II uses power equivalent to 1 sextillion nuclear reactors to fire once every 3 minutes (seven blasts would generate enough nuclear waste to equal the dwarf planet Ceres at 9.5 x 1020 kg). A Death Star’s energy usage is equivalent to 598 billion times Earth’s power supply. Astronomers estimate there could be 20 billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy. Only 29 more galaxies to go!

Starkiller Base

“The Force Awakens” shows five planets being simultaneously destroyed by Starkiller. The power calculation would be five times the current power of the Death Star, or 3.12 x 1029 kilowatt-hours.

Also in the movie, we see it draining power from an average-sized star, which certainly has enough nuclear fuel to provide the kind of energy shown. Earth’s sun will provide roughly 3.5 x 1056 kilowatt-hours in its lifetime. There isn’t much more info given in the film that would allow for honing in on a figure between these two numbers. Note that the expected lifespan of the sun is 10 billion years.

To power the Starkiller Base, it would take 1.12 x 1036 joules or 3.12 x 1029 kilowatt-hours. This is equivalent to 80 octillion AA batteries, 430 septillion car batteries, 40 septillion Telsa Powerwalls, 10 quintillion barrels of oil, 1.5 septillion nuclear power plants or 3 trillion times Earth’s power supply.

Hyperspace

Aside from powering up the Death Star, hypermatter particles allow a ship to jump to lightspeed without changing its complex mass and energy. We’ve seen the Millennium Falcon make the jump to lightspeed several times. According to physicist Miguel Alcubierre, a warp drive could manipulate space-time, taking advantage of a loophole in the laws of physics to move 10 times faster than the speed of light.

To make a warp drive, it was initially estimated you would need a minimum amount of energy almost equal to the mass of the planet Jupiter. More recent studies have reduced the energy requirement to be about the mass of the Voyager 1, approximately 700 kilograms.

Using E=mc2, 700 kilograms is equal to 62.9 exajoules, which is 15 billion tons of TNT explosives or 17,500 terawatt-hours. That’s 4.5 quadrillion AA batteries, 23 trillion car batteries, 2.5 trillion Tesla Powerwalls, 10 billion barrels of oil (1% of all the oil ever produced), 17.5 million nuclear reactors or 16 percent of Earth’s power supply (that’s one jump every two months!).

Ebates Star Wars Stores

ThinkGeek – Star Wars Apparel for Adults & Kids
BuyCostumes – Star Wars Halloween Costumes
LEGO – Star Wars Lego Toys and Products
GameStop – Select Star Wars Universe Games

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December 9, 2016

America’s Favorite Christmas Movies: Box Office Battle

Do you have a Christmas movie favorite? One that you watch every year, or one that sets the tone for the season just like that first cup of eggnog or putting up the Christmas tree? Although there are favorites aplenty, the box office numbers haven’t always lined up with the sentimental Christmas favorites.

Top-Grossing Christmas Movies Since 1980

Home Alone (1990), $285.8 million
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), $260.0 million
The Polar Express (2004), $183.4 million
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), $173.6 million
Elf (2003), $173.4 million
Gremlins (1984), $153.0 million
The Santa Clause (1994), $144.8 million
The Santa Clause 2 (2002), $139.2 million
A Christmas Carol (2009), $137.9 million
Four Christmases (2008), $120.1 million
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), $84.5 million

Timeline of Christmas Movies at the Box Office

A Christmas Story (1983), $3.2M budget, $17.4M profit
Gremlins (1984) $11M budget, $142M profit
Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), $30M budget, $6.3M net loss
Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986), $781K gross
Ernest Saves Christmas (1988),$6M budget, $22.2M profit
Die Hard (1988), $28M budget, $55M profit
Home Alone (1990), $18M budget, $267.8M profit
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), $20M budget, $153.6M profit
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), $12M budget, $15.3M profit
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), $18M budget, $57.1M profit
The Nutcracker (1993), $19M budget, $16.9M net loss
The Santa Clause (1994), $22M budget, $122.8M profit
Miracle on 34th Street (1994), $17.3M gross
Jingle All the Way, (1996), $75M budget, $14.4M net loss
The Preacher’s Wife (1996), $48M gross
I’ll Be Home for Christmas (1998), $30M budget, $17.8M net loss
Jack Frost (1998), $85M budget, $50.4M net loss
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), $123M budget, $137M profit
The Santa Clause 2 (2002), $65M budget, $74.2M profit
Elf (2003), $33M budget, $140.4M profit
Love Actually (2003), $45M budget, $14.7M profit
Bad Santa (2003), $23M budget, $37.1M budget
The Polar Express (2004), $150M budget, $33.4M profit
Christmas With the Kranks (2004), $60M budget, $13.8 profit
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), $12M budget, $72.5M profit
Fred Claus (2007), $100M budget, $28M net loss
Four Christmases (2008), $80M budget, $40.1M profit
A Christmas Carol (2009), $175M budget, $37.1M net loss
The Nutcracker in 3D (2010), $90M budget, $89.8M net loss
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011), $19M budget, $16.1M profit
The Best Man Holiday (2013), $17M budget, $53.5M profit
Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (2013), $25M budget, $27.5M profit
The Night Before (2015), $25M budget, $18M profit
Krampus (2015), $15M budget, $27.7M profit

Check this graph for net profit and losses for all Christmas movies in our research:

Not What You’d Expect

The 1983 classic, A Christmas Story, is shown repeatedly on TV and often quoted, but its total lifetime gross is just $20.6 million. It made less money than Ernest Saves Christmas!

Interestingly, there is some debate about what’s considered a Christmas movie. Some films that are not considered Christmas movies by data collectors include the sixth-highest-grossing movie, Gremlins (1984), at $153.0 million; the 12th-highest-grossing movie, Die Hard (1988), at $83.0 million; and the 21st-highest-grossing movie, Love Actually (2003), at $59.7 million.

What about the classics? After looking through the list of films, you may have the realization that many of your favorites are actually from before 1980. If you’re looking for It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) or Charlie Brown’s Christmas (1965), then you may be taking an old-fashioned approach to your holiday movie picks.

Net Profit/Loss

More than just box office sales, let’s look at which Christmas movies since 1980 made the most money or lost the most money.

Highest Net Profit

Home Alone, $268 million
Home Alone 2, $154 million
Gremlins, $142 million
Elf, $140 million
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), $137 million

Biggest Net Loss

The Nutcracker in 3D, $90 million
Happy Christmas, $70 million
Arthur Christmas, $54 million
Jack Frost, $50 million
A Christmas Carol (2009), $37 million

In addition to grossing less in recent years, more Christmas movies have been showing a net loss after box-office sales.

Trivia and Background

It’s a Wonderful Life: The 1946 film made $3.3 million during its initial run, failing to break even after $3.7 million in costs. The film was shot in a California studio, but Seneca Falls, N.Y., claims to be the inspiration for the small-town setting. It returned from obscurity in the 1980s, going on to be so beloved that an original film poster sold for $15,535. The film was named by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made.

Muppet Christmas Carol: It was the first major muppet project after Jim Henson’s death. The puppet for the Ghost of Christmas Past was filmed underwater to create its ethereal, ghostly look before being superimposed onto the set background.

The Nightmare Before Christmas: 100 people worked for 3 years to create the 12 stop-motion moves made for every second of film. Because stop motion is such a time-consuming process, filming began before the script was completed.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Jim Carey’s makeup took 8 hours to apply. No movie since the Wizard of Oz in 1939 had so many characters in heavy makeup. The costume designer looked to 1950s cookbooks as vintage inspiration for the 300 hats in the film.

Love Actually: The airport footage at the beginning and end of the film was of real people greeting each other at Heathrow Airport. The nativity concert was filmed at the Elliott School in Putney, southwest London, which is also where Pierce Brosnan went to school.

Bad Santa: To play a drunk Santa, Billy Bob Thornton got drunk during the filming. The non-traditional representation of Santa ruffled some feathers. Thornton’s reply: “As far as I know, Santa Claus is not in the Bible. I think you guys are talking about Jesus.”

A Christmas Story: The filming budget was $3.2 million. You can visit Ralphie’s house in Cleveland, which is open for tours year-round. In 2004, a San Diego entrepreneur bought the house on eBay for $150,000. A longtime fan of the movie, he watched it frame by frame to draw up the plans for a $240,000 restoration back to the way it was in the film. Although none of the three “leg lamps” that were used during filming have survived, reproductions are available for about $200.

Elf: Walter’s apartment is in the same building as Dana’s apartment in Ghostbusters (located at Central Park West in Manhattan). Will Ferrell’s costume sold for $10,000.

Polar Express: It’s the first all-digital capture film, which got it listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The conductor references director Robert Zemeckis’ childhood home in Chicago when he says the street address, “11344 Edbrooke.”

Home Alone: A blizzard struck on the second day of shooting, which meant that fake snow had to be created for the rest of the filming. The suburban Chicago house that was used for both interior and exterior scenes sold for $1.58 million in 2012.

Want to share our infographic on your site? Just copy and paste the text below!

<a href="https://www.ebates.com/blog/favorite-christmas-movies/"><img alt="America's Favorite Christmas Movies: Box Office Battle" class="ngg_none" src="https://www.ebates.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/americas-favorite-christmas-movies_IG.png" width="600px" height="7646px" /></a><br><a href="https://www.ebates.com/blog/favorite-christmas-movies/">America's Favorite Christmas Movies: Box Office Battle</a> Created By: <a href="https://www.ebates.com/"> Ebates</a>

Sources:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=christmas.htm
http://people.com/movies/25-things-you-may-not-know-about-home-alone-25-years-later/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roadtrippers/holly-jolly-guide-to-chri_b_4498585.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104940/trivia
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/trivia
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0170016/trivia
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314331/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv
http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/
https://www.wikipedia.org/

November 8, 2016

3 Easy DIY Fantastic Beasts Costumes For Opening Night

70 years before Harry Potter was swept off to Hogwarts, magizooligist Newt Scamander arrives in New York City where trouble is brewing for the wizarding community, threatening to expose them to the general public. To make matters worse, the magical creatures Newt has rescued and stowed carefully away in his dimension-defying suitcase have gotten loose. Can he and a pair of savvy sisters recapture these Fantastic Beasts before they cause too much chaos? You’ll have to see the movie to find out! But before you do, consider showing up to opening night as Newt, Queenie Goldstein, or Porpentina Goldstein in one of these 1920s-inspired DIY costumes. All pieces can easily fit into your fall wardrobe and come with Cash Back at Ebates! Which one has you counting the days until the biggest movie premier of the year?

Newt

Blue Lapel Belt Waist Trench Coat, $29.90 (Choies)

Putting a feminine twist on this dapper look isn’t hard with this rich color palette. Plus, it’s cold out there. Time to invest in some long jackets!

Mustard Yellow Womens Vest, $25 (Etsy)

A cute denim vest like this also looks great with your fall sweaters.

Navy Bow Tie, $36 (Kohl’s)

We’re betting this little bow tie will make a fine re-gift for the holidays if it’s not totally your style. If it is, bonus!

Wooden Box Purse, $39.95 (Etsy)

Instead of lugging around a big leather case, opt for a cute box purse you can use for the rest of the season.

Queenie

Alice Boutique Silky Duster, $52 (Boohoo.com)

The key to bubbly and friendly Queenie is her dainty pink coat, so start there with this sleek silky duster.

LUCY Paris Blouse, $32 (YOOX)

This adorable pink blouse will make a great addition to your work wardrobe.

Rib Knit Wrap Dress, $59 (Nordstrom)

And who can’t use a wrap dress for…anything? They are truly the most versatile piece of clothing you could own.

Riva Women’s High Heels, $49.99 (Kohl’s)

Sensible black pumps are every girlboss’ essential item.

Porpentina (Tina)

Heathered Bow Cloche, $78 (Brooks Brothers)

Thank goodness these precious little hats are back in style!

Wool Blend Trench Coat, $149.90 (Nordstrom)

If the hat and this coat aren’t a match made in heaven, we don’t know what is.

Loveletter Surplice Blouse, $25 (Tobi)

All you need is a plan cami underneath and you have a flowing blouse that is perfect for day-to-night.

Sailor Gouchos, $20.40 (Dressbarn)

We absolutely love gouchos as a summer-to-fall transition piece since they look just as cute with flats as they do with tall boots.

Brass Ball Locket, $18 (Etsy)

Top it all off with a unique gold locket and you are full-blown Tina.

And the finishing touch…

Wizard Wand, $24 (Etsy)

You didn’t think we would forget the wand, do you? One of these handmade cherry wood wands work for all three of these Fantastic Beasts costumes.

August 10, 2016

Cost Analysis of Your Favorite Movie Weddings

Whether it’s walking down the aisle in Princess Buttercup’s gown or getting an entire chorus to sing “All You Need Is Love” after your first kiss, you’ve probably dreamed of how your own wedding could be just like the ones in the movies. That got us thinking: How much would it cost to throw some of our favorite movie weddings?

For the full infographic, read on!

First off, we gathered estimates of how much the iconic weddings from our favorite movies would have cost in their respective time periods. In 19th-century Denmark, the wedding festivities of “The Little Mermaid” would’ve set you back approximately 43,297 krones, which is equivalent to $64,496. Vito Corleone’s wedding for his daughter in the 1945 film “The Godfather” was $46,730. Next, fast forward in time to 1987, when getting hitched in “The Wedding Singer” would’ve been $7,763. In 1991, the “Father of the Bride” would be shelling out $34,365 to get his daughter hitched. The “Kill Bill” wedding, in 1999, was a bargain at $500. Then again, they never really made it to the reception. The event all six seasons of “Sex and the City” was building toward in 2008 would’ve been $229,869. Saying “I do” in “I Love You, Man” in 2009 came out to $48,061. Perhaps our most expensive wedding is “The Princess Bride,” which took place in the Renaissance Era and cost 20,000 ducats, which is equivalent to just under $3 million!

The average cost of a wedding today in the United States, excluding the honeymoon, is approximately $32,642. Catering alone costs $68 per guest. With that figure in mind, let’s see how much each of the movie weddings would have cost based solely on the number of guests in attendance: “Kill Bill,” $748; “The Little Mermaid,” $5,100; “Meet the Fockers,” $6,936; “I Love You, Man,” $9,560; “The Graduate,” $9,656; “Father of the Bride,” $10,200; “The Wedding Singer,” $11,900; “It Happened One Night,” $12,376; “The Best Man,” $12,240; “The Princess Bride,” $14,960; “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” $16,320; “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” $16,864; “Wedding Crashers,” $20,400; “Love Actually,” $21,080; “Bridesmaids,” $21,800; “Sweet Home Alabama,” $24,840; “Sex and the City,” $30,600; and “The Godfather,” $37,400.

Next we compared where these weddings took place. In “Love Actually,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and even “Kill Bill,” the couple decided to exchange vows the traditional way, in a church. The average cost to get married in a church, based on our movie wedding estimates, came out to $32,161.

Some of our on-screen couples decided to go no farther than their own backyards, as was the case with “It Happened One Night,” “Father of the Bride” and the memorable Corleone Estate of “The Godfather,” filmed on Staten Island. The average cost of the backyard weddings from our collection of films came out to $66,565.

Other movie weddings took place in unique locales, like “Sex and the City” in the New York Public Library or “Bridesmaids” in the scenic Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, California. We even learned from “The Little Mermaid” that the perfect place to marry a mermaid is on a ship. Our average cost for a movie wedding at a venue: $86,013.

So who actually made it down the aisle? Couples in “The Little Mermaid”; “The Godfather”; “Father of the Bride”; “My Best Friend’s Wedding”; “The Best Man”; “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”; “Love Actually”; “Meet the Fockers”; “Wedding Crashers”; “Sex and the City”; “I Love You, Man”; and “Bridesmaids” all were pronounced husband and wife. Meanwhile, fate or just cold feet halted couples in: “The Princess Bride,” “It Happened One Night,” “The Graduate,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Kill Bill” and “Sweet Home Alabama.”

What’s the worst way to crash a wedding, you may wonder? In “The Princess Bride,” it was dashing heroes coming in for the rescue, while assassins stopped the wedding and gave the bride something to avenge in “Kill Bill.” Perhaps the crasher we all remember is Dustin Hoffman’s character in “The Graduate,” banging on a glass panel, screaming, before escaping with the bride. Hopefully your wedding has a far better outcome — and it’s death that makes you part, not Dustin Hoffman.

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<a href="https://www.ebates.com/blog/cost-analysis-movie-weddings"><img alt="Cost Analysis of Your Favorite Movie Weddings" class="ngg_none" src="https://www.ebates.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/cost-analysis-movie-weddings_IG.png" width="600px" height="5507px" /></a><br><a href="https://www.ebates.com/blog/cost-analysis-movie-weddings">Cost Analysis of Your Favorite Movie Weddings</a> Created By: <a href="https://www.ebates.com/"> Ebates</a>

Source List

http://qz.com/228518/the-venerable-80-year-tradition-of-the-insanely-expensive-american-wedding/
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/weddings/Weddings+Through+The+Decades-258745.html
http://www.bridalguide.com/planning/weddings-through-the-ages
http://celyn.drizzlehosting.com/mrwp/mrwed.html
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Locations/WeddingSinger.shtml
http://www.movie-locations.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259446/locations
http://ir.xogroupinc.com/investor-relations/press-releases/press-release-details/2016/Wedding-Spend…
https://www.sovereignman.com/finance/why-dost-thou-whet-thy-knife-so-earnestly-8453/
http://www.apmex.com/spotprices/gold-price

May 11, 2016

The Money Behind Our Most Beloved Movie Proms

Prom! It’s the most magical time in a teenager’s life. Or at least it’s supposed to be. More often than not, prom night ends with lame decorations, dashed expectations and nasty hangovers. But there’s one place where prom night is always as awesome and epic as it is in your imagination: the movies. From blood-soaked queens to time-traveling teens, the movies have given us some truly memorable prom scenes over the years. They’re the proms we only wish ours could be like. But why wish? You can have a prom just like the one in your favorite movie, if you’ve got the money to spend. That’s why we decided to do a cost analysis of our favorite movie proms.

(Full disclosure: Not every scene we looked at was a prom scene. But we just couldn’t imagine doing this list without including school dances like the Enchantment Under the Sea dance from “Back to the Future” or the Spring Fling from “Mean Girls.”)

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<a href="https://www.ebates.com/blog/cost-analysis-of-movie-proms/"><img alt="Cost Analysis of Movie Proms" class="ngg_none" src="https://www.ebates.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cost-analysis-of-movie-proms_IG.png" width="600px" height="6025px" /></a><br><a href="https://www.ebates.com/blog/cost-analysis-of-movie-proms/">Cost Analysis of Movie Proms</a> Created By:  <a href="https://www.ebates.com/"> Ebates</a>

Party Like It’s 1999

We looked at 16 different school dance scenes for this list, starting in 1928 when Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed jitterbugged their way into the school pool in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and waltzing all the way to 2008 when Bella and Edward shared their first dance at the end of “Twilight.” That’s 80 years of proms. Aside from the rising cost of tickets (The cost of prom tickets was just $16 in 1928; by 2008, it had jumped all the way to $200.), the biggest thing we learned is that if you want a prom like in the movies, then you’ve got to party like it’s 1999! 1999 was a magical year that featured more iconic prom scenes than any other year on the list. It was the year Julia Stiles told Heath Ledger “10 Things I Hate About You,” Rachel Leigh Cook proved to her whole school that “She’s All That” and a group of friends got their first slice of “American Pie.” So if you want the most guaranteed shot at some awesome prom action, then you’ll want to break out the Spice Girls CDs and put on your finest TRL-inspired fashion, because 1999 was the year when prom truly ruled.

Location, Location, Location

The good news for anyone trying to replicate a favorite movie prom is that the location fee is probably going to be pretty cheap. Eleven of the 16 proms we examined took place in a school gym, which can usually be secured for free. However, if you do want to recreate the look of your favorite off-campus movie prom, you can. Many of the locations used in movies like “Pretty in Pink” and “Footloose” are still available to rent today, if you’ve got the money. Three of those scenes took place in some iconic and expensive hotels that will charge you more than $25,000 for a single night of entertainment. The Ebell of Los Angeles, where everyone found out Drew Barrymore wasn’t a teenager but actually an undercover reporter in “Never Been Kissed,” will charge you $30,000. The Millennium Biltmore Hotel from “Pretty in Pink” will run up a $28,354 tab. And the Century Ballroom in Seattle from “10 Things I Hate About You” costs $25,000.

Of course, hotels aren’t the only place you can have a memorable off-campus prom. If you want to recreate the rule-breaking barn prom from the end of “Footloose,” you can rent out the Lehi Roller Mills in Utah for just $4,250. Or if you want a supernatural prom underneath gray Seattle skies, just like Edward and Bella, you can rent the same inn where “Twilight” went to prom. The View Point Inn is the cheapest on this list, costing you only $3,333 for the night.

Wherever you decide to host your prom, just remember: Most of these proms are memorable because of what happened at them, not where they happened. Let’s just hope you have something as memorable as a musical performance by your “Back to the Future” son at your prom!

Class Act

Another cost-cutting benefit of most of your favorite movie proms is that they use DJs as the entertainment, not live bands. DJs are relatively cheap to rent for the evening, and in most cases, you can probably just find a student at your school who will do the job for free.

Unfortunately, if you do want to hire a band that appeared in one your favorite prom scenes, it’s going to be tough. Some of them, like Marvin Berry and the Starlighters from “Back to the Future” or Johnny Casino and the Gamblers from “Grease,” were entirely fictional. Other bands, like Letters to Cleo from “10 Things I Hate About You,” have since broken up and won’t perform again for any price. However, there is one movie prom musician who is still performing to this day: Usher. His character sang and spun records at the prom in “She’s All That,” and he’ll come perform at your prom too, if you have $150,000 to cover his fee.

Best Night Ever?

There are a lot of things you can buy to replicate your favorite movie proms, but there are certain things that money just can’t get you. At the end of the day, these dances weren’t memorable because the prom committee had hundreds of thousands of dollars to shell out on the fanciest hotel in town. They were memorable because they featured beloved characters, insane adventures and a few overly choreographed dance routines. And, of course, a few of the cooler couples getting lucky. But not as many as you’d think! More of the movies on this list feature couples breaking up at prom than ending up together. Only a few lucky couples, like George and Elaine from “Back to the Future” or Blake and Andie from “Pretty in Pink,” get to share a first kiss at the end of prom. And we only see one couple from all 16 movies actually going all the way on prom night: Jim and Michelle from “American Pie.” Most of the couples end prom broken up, like Danny and Sandy at the end of the dance scene in “Grease” or Kit and Patrick from “10 Things I Hate About You.”

So maybe movie proms aren’t all that different from real-life proms. Anyone’s night can end in dashed expectations, no matter how much money they have to spend. The important thing is to have fun and party, because it’s up to you to make prom the best night of your life.

Source List – links to referenced sites.
http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2014/03/paying_for_prom_how_much_did_y.html
http://www.movie-locations.com
http://www.womangettingmarried.com/ebell-los-angeles/

February 29, 2016

Running on Empty: A Cost Analysis of Movie Road Trips

According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association there are more than 4 million miles of road in the United States, and if you’re an adventurous motorist, they can take you to some pretty exciting places. Maybe that’s why the great American road trip has become such a staple of American cinema; there are endless stories to be told on the open road, from men trying to return to their families like “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” to women trying to escape theirs, like in “Thelma and Louise,” or from two friends searching for the perfect trip in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” to two friends searching for the perfect cure for the munchies in “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.” Movies have reminded us time and time again that if you want something, it’s out there somewhere; you just have to put some serious time behind the wheel to get it.

Of course, movies also like to remind us that these trips almost always come with their fair share of unforeseen accidents, adventures and incidents, and most of them will end up costing you a lot more than your time. Travel can be awfully expensive, so that’s why we’ve put together a list of our favorite movie road trips and compared them by cost. Hopefully this will help you out next time you end up on the highway with a dead relative strapped to your roof or stuffed in your trunk.

For our analysis, we started with 10 of the most popular road trip movies ever made:

National Lampoon’s Vacation
Tommy Boy
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Easy Rider
Road Trip
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Little Miss Sunshine
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Thelma and Louise

Right away, it seems that a good way to cut costs on a road trip is to make it a two-person affair. Seven out of these 10 movies only feature two protagonists — usually best friends like Harold and Kumar or Thelma and Louise, but sometimes they’re forced together like Neal and Del in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” The only trips to feature more than two travelers are “Vacation,” “Road Trip” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” And while these all turned out to be amazing bonding experiences for friends or families, the effort of moving multiple people really blew up the cost. Nowhere is this more clear than in the types of vehicles used. Harry and Lloyd from “Dumb and Dumber” managed to travel 700 miles on a mini bike that got 70 miles to the gallon. They may have looked silly scrunched up on a bike meant for one, but they saved some serious cash. Clark Griswold, on the other hand, needed an entire Queen Wagon Family Truckster to transport his clan from Chicago to Los Angeles. This gas-guzzling station wagon ran at a measly 17 miles to the gallon. Add that to the fact the movie was released at the height of the OPEC oil crisis in the early 1980s and you have to wonder if that trip to Wally World was really worth it.

The Griswolds also traveled the longest distance to reach their destination, trekking a grand total of 2,395 miles. But they’re trailed closely by Harry and Lloyd, who traveled all the way from New Jersey to Aspen in order to return Mary Swanson’s forgotten briefcase. Those 2,144 miles are a long way to go for a random act of kindness (and to screw up a kidnapping ransom!). The other trips on our list don’t come anywhere near the distance covered by these two, with most of them falling well under 1,000 total miles. But that doesn’t mean they’re any less eventful. Harold and Kumar’s trip was by far the shortest, only 70 miles from Hoboken to New Brunswick in search of their favorite hamburgers. But in that relatively short span of road, they encountered everything from an escaped cheetah to Neil Patrick Harris. Or look at Neal Page in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” What started as a two-hour plane trip from New York City to Chicago turned into a multi-day journey into a pit of human frustration, complete with derailed trains, disappearing rental cars and an annoying travel companion who followed him every step of the way. At the end of the day, distance barely seems to matter on these trips; it’s all the obstacles in the way that you’ll really remember.

And if any of these movies are even the slightest bit true, you will face a lot of obstacles too. Some of them might be really bad; hopefully you don’t end your road trip getting blown up by angry hillbillies like in “Easy Rider” or flying off a cliff like in “Thelma and Louise.” But you could end up losing your hubcaps like Clark Griswold when he was giving directions to a group of duplicitous strangers, an extra expense that tagged an additional $160 to the price of his trip. Or you could blow your budget by accidentally running up a charge of $1,560 worth of Las Vegas room service, like the heroes of “Fear and Loathing.”

Of course, some additional expenses might be totally worth it. Harold and Kumar may not have been planning on spending $86 on fast food at the start of their trip, but by the end of it, they had certainly earned it. Or you could spend $257,000 on a brand new Lamborghini like Harry and Lloyd did. OK, it was probably a tad expensive, but perfect for blending into an affluent town like Aspen. Plus, it’s easy to spend that kind of cash when it’s coming out of someone else’s briefcase. (Just make sure you include an IOU.)

Road trips can be costly propositions, but whatever you end up spending, you always make up for it in amazing memories. So next time you want to bond with your family or friends, see some amazing places or chow down on the perfect burger, remember that the open road is out there waiting for you. You just have to get in your car and drive.

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Source List –
http://www.artba.org/about/transportation-faqs/#9
http://energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-835-august-25-average-historical-annual-gasoline-pump-price-1929-2013
http://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/ford_usa/ltd_usa_4gen/ltd_usa_4gen_country_squire/1979.html
http://order.whitecastle.com/
ebay.com
http://maps.google.com

February 25, 2016

6 Easy Ways to Save Big on Going to the Movies

It’s only February and there are already a ton of fabulous films out there in this year’s spring lineup. Whether you’re into lighthearted romantic comedies, superhero flicks or even scream-inducing horror movies, theaters are packed right now with star-studded titles that are just waiting for you. While this is exciting news for any movie buff, if your bank account has you trying to pick and choose which ones you’ll be able to see, you may be singing the budget blues rather than movie theme songs. Don’t start singing your sad tune just yet, we’ve got some good news for you! There are a bunch of super easy ways to save money when it comes to buying movie tickets, including finding an exclusive promo code on Ebates so you can get your tickets for less. Here are some fabulous insider tips that will help you find great deals so you can pick out movie dates for months to come. Check out these tips and get going to the movies and earn Cash Back at Ebates!

1. Cash in on Matinees and Saver Days at Your Theater

Have a flexible schedule or some time off midweek? If you’re searching for savings, midweek is the perfect time to catch a great deal on that movie you have been waiting to see. Can’t do midweek? You can get a great deal on weekend matinees, too! Most movie theaters offer special discount pricing for weekend matinees or movies playing during the day, Monday through Friday. The real bonus is that the theater will probably be free from rowdy kids and crowds so you won’t have to fight to find a great seat. You can just kick back and relax in peace while you enjoy your popcorn and movie!

2. Wait to Watch and Catch a Late Run Show

While it’s fun to catch a movie during its opening night or even during the first week, it usually also means that you are going to get caught in a line with the throngs of folks that also have the same great idea. While some folks may live for the midnight showings of the latest blockbuster, if you can wait a couple weeks to catch a screening, there’s a good chance you’ll save a few bucks. Aside from avoiding the crowd, waiting to see new movies can mean serious savings for your entertainment budget. Many theaters offer awesome discount movie tickets several weeks after the movie first premieres. Waiting also means that you can find out which movies get the best box office and critic reviews before you spend your money to see them. Win-win!

3. Skip the Shows With Extra Frills and Avoid Added Costs

Going to a movie in IMAX or 3D can be fun, but it will almost certainly mean paying extra to watch a movie. If you are willing to forego the fancy viewing experience, it can mean some major savings for you and your movie budget. Skipping out on the IMAX and 3D options is also a great choice if your family has young children that struggle with keeping the special 3D glasses on for the entire show.

4. Sign up for Theater Loyalty Programs

If you absolutely love movies, you’re in for a treat when you sign up for movie theater company loyalty programs. Big theater chains like AMC and Cinemark have awesome loyalty programs that will give you rewards points for every movie ticket purchase. If you live in an area with only a couple theaters or there is one special theater that you go to every time, loyalty program rewards will add up faster than you can believe. Cash your rewards in for awesome benefits like movie coupon codes for free tickets. Some programs even offer free upgrades at the concession stand on popcorn and fountain drinks.

5. Cash in on Price Club Discounts or Buy in Bulk

Did you know that if you’re a member of a shopping club like Costco or Sam’s Club, you can get great deals on discount movie tickets? It’s true! Big discount clubs will often have bundles of movie theater gift cards or discount tickets available at a fantastic price. Even if you’re not a member of a discount club, you can still get a great price on movie tickets for the whole gang when you buy in bulk. Check online or talk to your local theater to find out just how much you can save when you buy movie tickets in bulk.

6. Double Check for Specialty Discounts

If you’re a student, a senior citizen or a member of the military, then this tip is for you! Before you book your tickets, double check to see if your favorite theater offers discount movie tickets for these groups. Even if the movie ticket price only gets reduced a dollar or so, after about a dozen movies, you’ll have saved enough for a full ticket. Just don’t forget to have your ID ready when you head to the theater!

Now that you have our handy guide for saving a little extra on your entertainment budget, which movie will you and your friends go see first?

Prices and Cash Back percentages are subject to change.

February 24, 2016

How to Save on Entertainment and Event Tickets

Looking for great entertainment on a tight budget? Ebates has you covered! Check out these awesome insider savings tips to get out and see the shows you love at a price that won’t break the bank. Check out these sites that offer Cash Back and the best prices on entertainment tickets.

Fandango

Fandango’s movie ticket booking site offers all the latest and hottest cinematic features. With an incredible number of up-to-date movie listings and deals, Fandango is a fantastic place to score the movie tickets you want at a great price.

Savings Tips:
• Get freebies after you book by scrolling through the movie’s listing page. Some films offer free songs or other content downloads with your purchase.
• Check out a few different theaters and show times to cash in on special matinee prices.
• Have a movie coupon to use? Not all shows are eligible for movie coupons so double check before you plan your movie night!

Ticketmaster

When it comes to getting the best deals on the hottest event tickets, Ticketmaster is the place to go. Whether you’re looking for cheap tickets to go see your favorite comedian or that awesome indie band you’ve loved for years, Ticketmaster has the tickets you want at an awesome price.

Savings Tips:
• Head to the Deals section to check out the hottest sales and offers on event tickets all in one handy place!

Superstar Tickets

Whether you are looking for big league sports event tickets or cheap tickets to top concerts and theater events, Superstar Tickets has them all!

Savings Tips:
• Watch for special online savings, like a promo code for 10% off your next purchase.
• Looking for a show close to home? Save on travel when you check out Superstar’s helpful listings by location.

Entertainment.com

The name says it all! For over 50 years, Entertainment.com has specialized in providing remarkable savings on movie tickets, getaways, activities and attractions.

Savings Tips:
• Partnering with thousands of local and national brands and stores, Entertainment.com offers merchant promotions and money-saving promo codes so you can save up to 50% every day on the things you love to do.

Ticket Liquidator

Searching for tickets even after a show has sold out? Head to Ticket Liquidator to get access to the most sought after event tickets online!

Savings Tips:
• Sign up for Ticket Liquidator’s mobile club and get an instant coupon for $25 off your next purchase!
• Subscribe to the Ticket Liquidator email newsletter and get special deals and event ticket info delivered straight to your inbox.

ScoreBig.com

With prices too low to publish, you won’t believe how much you can save on event tickets online at ScoreBig.com. Get ready to unlock cheap event tickets when you shop shows and entertainment online at ScoreBig.com.

Savings Tips:
• Save up to 60% off when you name a price on the tickets you want! If they accept your price, you can score some serious savings.
• Keep an eye out for an unbelievable ScoreBig promo code and cash in on super cheap tickets online at ScoreBig.com.

Razor Gator

When you shop online at Razor Gator, you’ll be on the edge of your seat cheering for more before you know it. Featuring great deals on event tickets for sports, concerts, theater and more, you’ll get the tickets you want when you shop online at Razor Gator.

Savings Tips:
• Head to the Razor Gator blog for exclusive deals on tickets.
• Shop with confidence at Razor Gator thanks to their 100% authenticity and on-time guarantee.

With these tips, you’ll get top-notch entertainment for less. You can count on Ebates to help you find that special promo code for tickets and give you extra savings with Cash Back, so you can have a ball within budget.

Prices and Cash Back percentages are subject to change.

February 1, 2016

Star Wars Tickets Sold on Fandango – You Could’ve Gotten Cash Back

After only a few weeks at the box office, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is on track to becoming the most successful film of all time with sales of $700 million and counting. That’s enough money to buy the First Order a few new Star Destroyer consoles (after Kylo Ren destroyed them during another one of his light saber tantrums). But did you know a little bit of that $700 million could have gone back to you? If you had bought your tickets online through Fandango and coupled them with an Ebates cash back deal, then a chunk of the ticket cost would have gone right back into your pocket. Even if you were looking forward to camping outside your local theater in a Tauntaun sleeping bag, savings like that should give you the incentive to skip the line when Episode VIII comes out.

All this goes way, way back to Oct. 20, 2015 (when we all still thought Jakku was Tatooine). That was Fandango’s biggest sales day in its entire 15-year history. As you may have already guessed, that was also the day “The Force Awakens” tickets went on sale. Theaters across the country sold out their first few Thursday night preview screenings within a matter of minutes. The traffic was so heavy that some users couldn’t even access the site for hours. But October wasn’t merely a Death Star-sized victory for Fandango; Ebates also saw a huge jump in number of visitors. Visits to the Ebates Fandango page increased five times that day and steadily rose over the next two months, up until the Dec. 18 release of “The Force Awakens.”

All of that led up to the whopping $700 million the movie has already raked in. Analysts project that 30% of ticket sales from an all-ages movie like “The Force Awakens” come from online ticket sales. That means $150 million worth of Star Wars ticket sales came from sites like Fandango. If everyone who had bought their ticket that way had also gone to Ebates to get their cash back, it would have totaled nearly $4.5 million in savings. That’s a huge cumulative number, but even at the individual level, it’s a pretty big deal. With the cost of a premium 3D screening costing you $20 a ticket, a family of four going to see “The Force Awakens” could get a significant chunk of change back just by taking a few extra minutes to jump over to Ebates.com.

Luckily, Star Wars won’t be leaving our movie theater screens anytime soon. With episodes VII and VIII on the way, as well as a ton of awesome spin-off films (We can’t wait for the young Han Solo movie!), you’ll be able to head off to that galaxy far, far away for a long time to come. Which means you’ll also have plenty more chances to save some money thanks to Fandango and Ebates. Or why even wait that long? “The Force Awakens” definitely demands more than one viewing!

October 20, 2015

13 Spooktacular Halloween Movies for All Ages

The weeks leading up to Halloween night are some of the best weeks of the year. Decorating the porch with ghosts and ghouls, carving spooky or funny faces into pumpkins, shopping or making costumes and decorating cookies adds to the excitement that comes on October 31st. One of the best ways to get into the spirit is to watch Halloween movies! Whether you’re gathering the kids for a night of fun or curling up on the couch for some real scares, we’ve got 13 of the best Halloween movies for any occasion. Grab the popcorn, put on the DVD (or grab the movie on iTunes and get 7% Cash Back at Ebates) and get ready for some Halloween treats and tricks!

Family Friendly

If you’re spending this Halloween with little ones around, you’ll want to be a bit more selective about your movie choices. You don’t want to put on anything too scary that can result in tears, but you’ll also want to be entertained as well. These four classics will bring back memories as well as create new ones for the whole family.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

No Halloween would be complete without Charlie Brown. This classic short features the Peanuts gang trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples and Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin. Recommended Age: 3 and up

The Worst Witch (1986)

Back before Harry Potter went to Hogwarts, Mildred Hubble went to Miss Cackle’s Academy of Witches. Unfortunately, Mildred just can’t seem to get it right. This sweet story will entertain children as well as adults. Recommended Age: 5 and up

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

You’ll have your little ones marching around singing “This is Halloween” for days after watching this Tim Burton masterpiece. Jack Skellington, who is tired of Halloween festivities, stumbles upon Christmas Town and decides to try his hand at that holiday. It’s a perfect film for both Halloween and Christmas. Recommended Age: 7 and up

Halloweentown (1998)

Marnie is obsessed with Halloween, which all makes sense when she discovers she is a witch. She heads off to Halloweentown after her grandmother arrives and the real tricks and treats begin. This film is the first in a triology, all of which are magical. Recommended Age: 9 and up

Teen Screams

Scary movies at sleepovers are nothing new, especially when October rolls around. If you have some tweens or teens in your household, these PG-13 movies are scary without being too horrifying or gory.

The Monster Squad (1987)

More funny than scary, The Monster Squad tells the story of a young group of monster fans who have to save their town after it is invaded by Count Dracula and his army of monsters. It’s perfect for teens who loves monster movies but don’t want to get too scared just yet.

The Others (2001)

This is subtle horror film that uses the power of atmosphere, music and suggestion to frighten rather than blood, gore and jump scares. An over-protective mother lives in an old, dark house with her two children who are sensitive to light. Over time she is convinced that the home she lives in is haunted.

The Ring (2002)

A mysterious videotape that causes the death of anyone within a week of watching it is the center of this scary movie and a journalist is determined to solve this urban legend. But if the urban legend is true, she only has seven days to solve it. It’s yet another film that skips over the blood and gore and focuses on psychological scares with a fair share of jumps and creepy imagery.

Insidious (2010)

Evil spirits are attacking a young boy who fell into a coma after a mysterious incident that took place in an attic. Referred to by many as one of the scariest PG-13 horror films of all time, it is a perfect blend of creepy and suspenseful.

Never Sleep Again

Take Halloween night to the next level and get ready to sleep with the light on. These movies are filled with blood, gore, scares and true horror. Don’t worry though, you can always cover your eyes at the scary parts.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Four stories. One night. This horror anthology takes place on Halloween Night and is full of both tricks and treats. A perfect mix or horror and comedy, Trick ‘r Treat is a classic that is fun to watch year after year.

Halloween (1978)

Michael Myers has escaped the mental hospital he’s been in for 15 years after stabbing his sister to death. John Carpenter’s Halloween is one of the most iconic movies of the holiday for a reason. Suspenseful, creepy and terrifying, Michael Myers will send chills down your spine.

The Evil Dead (1981)

Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods and proceed to release an evil force that turns its victims into monsters. A cult classic that shaped the future of zombie movies, The Evil Dead trilogy is a must-watch. Be prepared for a whole lot of blood and gore in this one.

The Conjuring (2013)

Strange things begin to happen after a family moves into a farm house in Rhode Island. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren are called to examine the house and discover a satanic haunting that will test everyone involved. This nail-biting movie will have you peeking behind the covers for the whole ride.

The Best Halloween Movie of All?

Maybe you don’t have a lot of time this year to do a Halloween movie marathon. Or maybe you’re just not that into dressing up or getting scared. If you only watch one Halloween movie this year, better make it…

Hocus Pocus (1993)

This film put a spell on everyone that still lives to this day. The Sanderson sisters are back and it’s up to two teens, a young girl and an immortal cat to put an end to this reign of terror. Hocus Pocus is a family friendly movie that children and adults both enjoy and love.

Whether you’re keeping the movies fun and silly or going all in for a scare-fest, have a Happy Halloween!

Prices and Cash Back Percentages are subject to change.