- Ask the theater employees if you can see an age-restricted movie if an adult comes with you. Then, ask your parents, older siblings, or friends if they’ll go with you.
- Or, buy the ticket yourself by appearing older. Wear clothes that are more mature and fit you well, then approach the ticket counter confidently.
- As an alternative, buy your ticket online or at a kiosk with a credit, debit, or gift card. Then, wait to get your ticket checked when the line is long.
Asking Someone of Age to Buy a Ticket for You
Ask about the theater’s policy. Find out how restrictive they are. Ask if they admit children to age-restricted movies as long as an adult purchases their ticket for them. If they don't, see if they'll admit you if you're accompanied by an adult into the theater.
Go to your parent. Ask them to see the movie with you or to simply buy the ticket for you when they drop you off. If they immediately say no just because of the movie’s rating, argue that the rating system is very inconsistent. Think of a movie that you are allowed to see (better yet, one that your parent made you see) and point out how it’s just as “bad” as the one you want to see now. For example, look at the Star Wars or Indiana Jones franchises or any other movie that’s marketed toward kids despite featuring torture, dismemberment, and high body counts. Know your parents’ tastes and policies beforehand. If you already know that the movie contains more sex, violence, or other material that they’ll object to you seeing, don’t bother asking, since this will tip them off that you intend to see it.
Hit up that favorite aunt or uncle. If you have one of those aunts or uncles who love to let you do things that your parents wouldn’t normally allow, go to them instead. Ask them to take you to the movie or to purchase your ticket for you.
Appeal to an older sibling. If you or your friends have any brothers or sisters of age, ask them to take you to the theater. Judge how best to ask them based on your relationship. If the two of you have a strong relationship, play to their sympathies, since they too were probably in your position not so long ago. If the two of you don’t get along most of the time, barter with them. Offer to do their chores or even provide an alibi or some other form of support the next time they want to sneak something behind your parent’s back.
Go with older friends. If you have any friends of age, or who even just look like they are, go with them. Invite as many as you can, the more, the better. Go as a group and blend in with them.
Ask an adult outside the theater. Look for someone who’s young enough to have only recently turned of age, who may be more sympathetic than older adults, since they were in your shoes not too long ago. Ask them to purchase your ticket. If needed, offer a few extra bucks to pay for their popcorn or whatever as an added thank you. If the ticket window is located outside, stay out of view of theater staff, but stay in view of everyone else when approaching strangers. Don’t barter with anything more than a little extra money, if even that. Regardless of how young they may seem, don’t agree to do any other favor for a strange adult, even if it sounds innocent. Don’t be afraid to ask. Unlike buying alcohol for minors, no one’s going to get arrested or fined for buying you a movie ticket (unless it’s to an NC-17 rated film). The worst that may happen is a simple “No.”
Buying the Ticket Yourself
Bluff your way in. If no one of age will take you, buy the ticket yourself. Be confident. Remember: all you’re doing is going to see a movie–no big deal. Ask for your ticket the same way you’d order your favorite meal at a restaurant that you go to all the time. Act a little bored by the transaction. Keep in mind that you’re not going to get into any sort of trouble for this; the worst that may happen is no ticket.
Dress the part. Leave any clothes that make you look young at home. Style your hair and choose clothes that older kids wear. Don’t overreach and try to appear too old, though. Aim to look like you’re exactly the minimum age permitted to see the movie. If it’s for 13 year-olds and up, try to look 13; If it’s for 17 year-olds and up, aim for 17; if it's for 18 year-olds dress like 18.
Add subtle touches. If an older sibling has a varsity jacket that fits you well, borrow it. Choose clothes that fit your form instead of clothes that you’re supposed to “grow into.” Wear shoes or sneakers that give you a little extra lift to appear taller. Stuff your bra a little. Apply a touch of makeup, but remember: less is more. Don’t overdo it and appear like you’re trying to look older.
Talk the talk. Do the math beforehand and know your fake birthdate in case anyone asks, so you can answer immediately, without having to think. If you’re going with a group of friends, mimic older kids’ conversations while you’re waiting in line. Talk about subjects relevant to the age you’re pretending to be. For example, if you play baseball or softball, tell a true story about a game you’ve played, but substitute your team with that of the school you’re pretending to attend.
Using a Credit, Debit, or Gift Card
Use plastic. If you already have a credit or debit card, go get it. If not, use cash to buy a pre-loaded debit card from a convenience store or pharmacy, or buy a gift card from the theater. To avoid suspicion, don’t buy the gift card from the theater the same day you try to see the movie.
Avoid human contact. Purchase your ticket online or at an automated kiosk at the theater. Deal with one less person who may wonder how old you are. Remember that once you’re inside, you'll still have to present your ticket to a staff member who will direct you to the particular theater in which your movie’s playing. Wear clothes and accessories that are appropriate for the age you’re pretending to be.
Wait for the line to back up. Once you have your ticket, wait until a few other people approach the staff member who's collecting tickets. The busier it is, the more likely the staff member will wave people through without glancing at anything but the theater number printed on their tickets. If there’s no line, dawdle by the concession stand or pretend to text somebody on your phone until a line builds up.
Getting in by Other Means
Use a ticket stub. If an older friend or sibling is willing to buy you a ticket but the theater still won’t allow accompanied children into the movie, have your friend or sibling buy a ticket for themselves. Ask them to head inside to have their ticket torn by staff. After they sit in the theater for a few minutes, have them leave the theater and find you outside so they can give you the torn ticket stub, which you can then show the staff inside for “re-entry,” as if you had already gone in but then ran back out to take care of something outside. Scope out the staff ahead of time. See if they make a point of inspecting ticket stubs when people reenter, or if they just let people in when a ticket stub is shown at all. If they let people breeze by, you could possibly try using an old stub that you’ve saved from a previous movie. Use this trick at a multiplex with multiple ticket collectors. Avoid theaters that only assign one staff member for this job, since they may have a good memory for faces and thus know who has and hasn’t presented a ticket already. Wait for the line to back up, since staff will be more likely to wave stub-holders through while dealing with tickets that still need to be torn.
Buy a ticket for another film. Pick a movie that you’re allowed to see. Choose one that starts a little before the one you intend to see. Give yourself time to switch theaters without missing the beginning of the movie you want to see. If your multiplex has ticket collectors at the door to the theater that you want to sneak into, go watch the movie that you just bought a ticket for. Wait for the movie that you want to see to start playing. Leave the first theater and, if the ticket collectors are gone, sneak into the second. If they’re still there, go the restroom or concession stand as if that’s all you meant to do, and then try again in a little bit later. If your multiplex collects tickets at the front of the house and then lets you find your own way, just say thanks and sail right into the theater you want to go to once you find it. Use this trick at multiplexes rather than small, two-screen theaters, since you’re more likely to attract attention at the latter due to the lack of space.
Sneak into the theater. Wait for a movie to let out. Go to a large multiplex, since these often have extra exits located throughout the building. Since these doors are exit-only, wait for a movie to let out, when a crowd will most likely exit all at once through these doors. Join the crowd as it spills out and act like you’re part of it. Then pretend you’ve left something inside. Head inside as though you’re going back in to find what you’ve supposedly lost. Get your timing right. Avoid loitering outside the doors, since there may be security cameras. Search online ahead of time to find out what movies in which theaters are letting out when. This way you’ll know exactly when to be in place. Don’t go in as a group. Be believable; one kid running back inside to find something he’s lost is plausible, but a bunch of kids doing the same looks like a bunch of kids sneaking into a theater. If you’re going as a group, have only one person go inside while the others wait for him to come back, which adds credibility to your cover. Once the crowd disperses, have the inside man come back and reopen the door for the rest of the group. Be aware that this is technically theft. If you’re caught, you may be in more serious trouble than you would be if you tried to buy a ticket for a movie that’s not meant for you.
Have an inside man let you in. Have them purchase a ticket for any movie and enter through the front. Wait outside an exit-only door. Once the coast is clear inside, have them open the door for you. Know the layout. Keep an eye out for security cameras that may catch you loitering outside or opening the door from the inside. Be careful not to use a fire exit that triggers an alarm when opened. Remember, this is technically theft, so you may get in trouble for this.
Go to a private screening. Some theaters screen movies privately for staff after closing-time the night before a premiere. Since these screening are informal, ask anyone you know who works there if you can tag along.
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