Sony Pictures recently surprised fans with a new marketing stunt, hoping to drop ticket prices for an upcoming movie in what might prove to be one of the best moves of the year.
For those unaware, comedian Nate Bargatze is set to release his new film, The Breadwinners, in theaters on May 29, 2026. Prior to its release, Bargatze (who stars and co-wrote the movie with Dan Lagana) took to Instagram to reveal that he and Sony Pictures have agreed on a “Nate Rate” for the movie. This essentially means that tickets for the movie will have a lower price, with Bargatze noting he wants anyone to be able to see the movie.
“Hello, everybody! My movie The Breadwinner is coming out May 29 and I’ve got something very exciting that I wanted to let you know. So the Nate Rate is a special kind of lower ticket price because we want everyone to come out to this movie. This movie is for your grandparents, grandkids, aunts, uncles, friends, sister…anybody. Your dog. Cats I think will love this movie, specifically. Anybody that wants to come out, come out, use the Nate Rate.”
Sony’s new marketing stunt is huge win for movie audiences
While movie studios like Sony Pictures can’t outright set the price of a movie ticket, this move has already proved to be successful. According to a report from THR, AMC Theaters has already agreed to sell tickets for the movie at matiness prices, and Cinemark may also be willing to discount its prices by up to 25%. Prices may vary from theater-to-theater, though, so while this isn’t a nationwide change just yet, it’s a great stunt by Sony for a number of reasons.
Of course, the largest complaint about movies nowadays is the price of tickets in general. For some, it might not be too expensive, but depending on the area you live, a ticket can be quite the price. For someone living in New York like myself, the standard price for a movie ticket can be around $17, with prices rising to upwards of $40 for a ticket to a premium event theater like IMAX or Dolby. Factor in the cost of things like popcorn and other snacks, and taking someone to see a movie can end up being fairly expensive.
Outside of the cost, Bargatze’s upcoming movie likely wasn’t going to be on the radar for everyone. The movie, a comedy about Bargatze’s character learning how to be a stay-at-home dad, probably wasn’t projected to bring in a ton at the box office. However, partnering with Bargatze — one of the most popular comedians in the world — to use his social media following to announce the news of the special ticket price drop, as well as the good press the decision could garner, could result in a boost in attendance and thus even more return on the project.
While it remains to be seen if Sony will be doing this with any other movie (it would be hard to see them doing this for something like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, for instance), the decision to even try it in the first place should be commended. The move will likely result in more seats for Bargatze’s movie, and could be a big indicator to theaters that people do want to see movies, just for a more affordable price.