UT Austin community: see the hottest big-screen movies for free

Free movies on campus for the UT campus community

One of the big perks of being a part of the UT Austin community (students, staff and faculty) is that you can see the biggest new movies at the UT campus Texas Union movie theatre....for free!

Every Thursday night - usually at 6:00pm with an encore at 9:00pm - you can see the same movies that people who are not in-the-know end up paying for. Just check them all out at the UT Austin Texas Union Calendar website.

It all kicked off this past Friday, Sept. 3, with the new Star Trek movie.

All you have to do is show up at the theatre. Try to show up early for the more popular movies, because otherwise the theatre may get to full capacity and you won't be able to get a seat. Then show the attendants your student/staff/faculty ID, and they will stamp your hand. You're allowed to bring one guest as well. And they let you bring food into the theatre, too!

Before the movie starts, the quirky student leaders who run the Texas Union theatre will usually show funny clips related to the movie as an cinematic appetizer, and then the movie begins in all its big-screen glory!

Here is the schedue for the rest of the semester, from the Texas Union calendar (subject to change):

Sept. 10  Drag Me to Hell

Sept. 17  Up

Sept. 24  Away We Go

Oct. 1  The Proposal

Oct. 8  Public Enemies

Oct. 15  Watchmen

Oct. 22  Bruno

Oct. 29  Transformers 2

Nov. 5  Harry Potter 6

Nov. 12  Funny People

Nov. 19  Julie & Julia

Dec. 5  Inglourious Basterds

Don't forget to keep a close eye on that Texas Union calendar! From time to time, they'll throw in other fun movies just for the heck of it. Like Howl's Moving Castle (about a castle that moves!) at 10:00pm on Sept. 16; an advance screening of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell at 7:00pm on Sept. 18 (must obtain free passes in advance); Ghostbusters at 10:00pm on Nov. 4; Coraline at 10:00pm on Nov. 11; and Jaws at 10:00pm on Dec. 2!

So if you're a member of the UT Austin community (and who in Austin isn't?), then make sure you don't go to any of the regular movie theatres this semester. Why do that, when you can see so many awesome movies on the big screen for free?

If you paid $8.00 at any other movie theatre for the 13 first-run movies that the Texas Union is playing this semester (including the recent Star Trek), you would have paid over $100. So save your money and spend that $100 on one school book for your classes instead.