During the early ’70s, I remember watching movies in some of the bigger lecture halls (B-10 Commerce and 6210 Social Science come quickly to mind) on Friday and Saturday nights for 75 cents. While not first-runs, the showings included recent hits and many, many classics. Since theaters charged as much as $2.50 on Saturday nights, the lecture hall movies were quite an entertainment value. Are lecture hall movies still part of campus life, or did the advent of affordable VCRs and widespread video rentals a decade after my time on campus relegate them to history? If they’re still around, what would admission set me back today?

Yes, movies that were recent hits and many classics are still shown on campus for a discounted ticket price. The Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) is the student organization that facilitates these viewings. They, and any other student organization they work with, try to screen films in venues other than classrooms whenever possible because of comfort value. The use of classroom and Union space for them is free, so all of the films they show outside of theaters are actually free. This includes Lakeside Cinema (classics) and Midnight Movies (recent classics), as well as International Cinema and Starlight Cinema (underground).

The WUD still shows many free movies. The only series that costs money is the WUD's Memorial Union Movie series, which are films that they show before they come out on DVD or VHS. Even that cost is discounted. These viewings cost $3.75 for UW-Madison students, Union members and Union staff, $4.25 for everyone else.