BY TAYLOR WICHTENDAHL, STAFF WRITER AND JENNIFER SHASKAN, ONLINE EDITOR

Much to the dismay of many students, the Johnson Center Cinema has recently stopped offering movies. For 20 years, the Cinema would show one movie per weekend with limited showtimes, but the Office of Student Involvement has begun the process to replace it. With the Cinema closed, students are now able to see many more movies offered at University Mall Theatres.

This change comes after the OSI partnered with University Mall Theatres during a snowstorm last winter. During the storm, OSI offered students the opportunity to attend one movie for free at the second-run theater just across the street from campus on Braddock Road as a way of curing their cabin fever.

This lead to OSI reaching out to University Mall Theatres to continue the partnership. The new system has allowed OSI to reallocate funds to other student organizations while still giving students opportunities for free entertainment.

According to Simone Medley, assistant director of programming for Student Involvement, another reason that the University made this shift was so that students had significantly more options. The movies that students can see with this week’s free ticket are Jason Bourne, Bad Moms, Star Trek: Beyond, Secret Life of Pets, Finding Dory, Ice Age: Collision Course and Rocky Horror Picture Show.

To obtain free tickets, students can go to the OSI on the second floor of the Hub. Each student can get one free ticket with their Mason ID. Mason is offering a total of 300 tickets a week on a first come, first serve basis. (Tickets are normally $5 for the general public and $4 for those with a Mason ID at the theater.)

Medley said the free tickets are available starting Monday each week with a limit of one per week. Each Monday students can pick up a new ticket that is valid through the following Sunday. While the Cinema is retired from showing movies, it is still part of the Johnson Center and is available to be reserved.

“This is the first week we are doing it. Since it is so new, we haven’t had much of a response yet, but the students who have received tickets have been enthusiastic,” Medley said.

“I would personally prefer the JC because it’s on campus. I would like to go to the movies without having to use a car since I don’t have one. So I would rarely see myself take advantage of the change,” junior Taylor Shubert said.

Echoing a similar sentiment, junior Nick Sauter said, “I wouldn’t take advantage of it. Why walk all the way to university mall when I can see the same movie at a closer venue?”

The Gunston Go Bus shuttle picks up seven days a week at Presidents Park. On the weekdays, pick ups are 7:20 a.m. to 10:25 p.m. On weekends, the shuttle runs from 3:05 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. The Gunston Go Bus drops off on the back side of University Mall next to the steps beside the movie theater.

More information can be found at shuttle.gmu.edu.  For regular updates on the films, visit OSI’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OSIFilms.