Last week we gave you a pretty good roundup of all the free and cheap movies outdoors, alongside swimming pools and at city parks. But you can also find a price break on kids movies in the theaters during summer, too.

Every summer national movie theater chains roll our their free or cheap movies you see in the theater. There is a catch of course, there always is. They are likely to be movies that are already out on DVD, and the popcorn and sodas still equal the cost of your mortgage, and sometimes you have to navigate crowds. But if you've got bored kids on a hot day, this can be a good midweek summer option.

Here's what you need to know before you go:

Your kids have likely seen Megamind or Shrek Forever After, but they also throw in some oldies like The Muppets Take Manhatten or maybe there's a few kiddie flicks you've missed or haven't seen in awhile.

Early show times for the free and cheap movies are usually before noon and on a weekday. 

Get there early if you don't want to risk being turned away. Many of them are on a first-come, first-served basis, so don't wait until the last minute to go.

The snack bar doesn't change prices. Plan accordingly if you don't want to pay out the nose for all those snacks.

Here's what you can look forward to this summer:

• The Muvico Summer Film Fest has free movies Tuesday-Thursdays at 10 a.m.
• The Regal chain, which has theaters in Crystal River, Largo Mall, Pinellas Park, Port Richy and the Citrus Park Town Center in Tampa, has a $1 Summer Movie Express. Find a theater and its list of movies here.
• The AMC Summer Movie Camp has been discontinued, they say, because of poor attendance. But you can see the first-run summer films like Cars 2 and Mr. Popper's Penguins on some days for $4 if you go before noon on a weekend and before 6 p.m. on a weekday.
  

--Sharon Kennedy Wynne

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