A night at the movies with a friend or someone special is an adventure, an opportunity to get lost for a couple of hours in a world without limitations. But first you need the golden ticket, anywhere from $7 to $10. A good date is often in need of that buttered movie popcorn. $8 more please. Of course then you’ll be parched, so another $6 for a monstrosity of liquid syrup you’re never going to finish, much less cash in on the free refills for. Suddenly the magic escape isn’t so magical. Unless you decide to attend Warrior Date Night.
The movie, the theater atmosphere, the popcorn and money still in your pocket: all priceless.
First off for the singles, “date” is a loose term. While there were couples with arms around each other, there were also plenty of friends that came to enjoy Code Red Entertainment’s showing of the popular Disney film “Frozen.” Attending with a few friends instead of a romantic interest did not deprive me of enjoying the fun and cost-effective event, so don’t let the title scare you away.
Those who attended walked in to the Carol Burke Lounge (the location was changed from the grass in the quad due to weather conditions) saw the student lounge transformed. A variety of seats were set up in theater fashion in front of a screen, with a table that provided a free spread of candy, popcorn and hot cocoa.
While some attendees were seen with bottles of water, those bottles were hard to find. This was unfortunate because hot chocolate is a difficult drink to enjoy while squeezed between other people in chairs that are high off the ground.
“Housing did a date night thing in Phase Three, so everyone brought their blankets and that was chill because you could just lay down and your drinks are all right there,” Bianca Mar-Elia (sophomore, Chemistry) said.
“Blankets would have been totally more ‘date-nighty’ than sitting on chairs because I feel like you have to sit with your back straight and everything on those chairs. And the way they meet, it’s like the bars, so I was kind of like ‘Ya, you’re not going to really cuddle me right now because, like, my back hurts.’”
Truly I found myself jealous, at times, of the children and families laying around on the floor directly in front of the screen for this very same reason. This brings us to another benefit of Warrior Date Night: It is family-friendly.
While some might groan at the prospect, the children were actually very well-behaved and even added an element of fun to the film, giggling promptly at funny scenes and letting out sounds of indignation at shocking turns of events.
Overall, the free and fun evening was well worth a couple of the event’s mild growing pains, especially considering the weather necessitated last-minute changes.
So if you want the date without the hurt in your pocket, or are just looking for a low-budget, fun night with friends, keep your ear to the ground for Code Red Entertainment’s announcement of their next Warrior Date Night.