Madison Avenue Theater Offers Free Family Films

Editor’s note: originally published September 26, 2023.

Lights, camera, action!

There’s the warm, buttery smell of freshly popped popcorn as you enter the lobby. A volunteer dressed in a themed character costume -- think Spider-Man, SpongeBob, or Woody from Toy Story -- greets you. You step to the counter where you’re handed a ticket that could grant you a lucky raffle prize. Walking to the upstairs balcony, you pass the concessions stand and step into the dark, cool auditorium filled with theater-style seats complete with cupholders.

Showtime.

And you paid zero dollars -- it’s all free!

The Madison Avenue Theater is a community-based movie theater that shows a double feature every Friday evening. The films start at 5:30 and 7:30. The “theater” is really the expansive balcony of New Life Church. And, unlike a conventional theater, it won’t break the bank to bring your whole family and buy snacks. It’s air-conditioned, which is a lifesaver in summer.

The movies are all rated G or PG and are vetted to ensure family-friendliness (no traumatic face-melting “Raiders of the Lost Ark” here, folks). The concessions are reasonably priced between $1 and $5. And there are raffle prizes including more concessions, cool toys, or collectibles. First-time guests receive a special silver ticket that gets them... yes, even more concessions. There are a lot of concessions, okay?

There are a few things that I truly appreciate about Madison Movie Night. The first thing is that it’s a Friday night go-to plan. The end of the work/school week sneaks up on me. I slam the laptop, pick up the kids from school, and then... okay, what now? We want to chill and blow off steam as a fam, but I also don’t want to spend a thousand dollars. So we go to the free community theater and watch “Trolls 2.” (Which, BTW, is surprisingly better than the original “Trolls.”)

Another thing I like is the community spirit. New Life Church has a way of opening its doors to the neighborhood. You sit in the theater next to people who you’ve probably never met before and you’re all enjoying a wholesome movie in surround sound with your families and neighbors. It’s pretty Norman Rockwell.

And, yes, it's free to attend. Have I stressed this enough? Anyone with kids knows that if you want to go anywhere to entertain the fam you’ll be opening your wallet to buy admission, beverages, snacks, bowling shoe rentals, gift shop swag, or what have you. I call it the “kid tax” and usually you’ve gotta pay it to get some parental respite.

If you like this kind of thing, New Life Church often offers other family-friendly events like their Trunk or Treat party or Family Fun Night. My kids love getting out and doing things and I like to curtail their Netflix time in favor of IRL activities. So community events are a win-win for me and them.

On a given Friday night when you’re looking for things to do, consider hitting up the Madison Avenue Theater. Kick back with a buttery, crunchy bag of corn, sip a soda water, and try to see if you can remember all the words to the “Encanto” soundtrack. Make some memories. Your kids will love it.