Instant Video Spotlight: Family-Friendly Rentals For $2.99 Each

Nowadays, taking the family out for a movie at the theater is a major investment. When even a child’s matinee-priced ticket will run you $7 or more, it starts to make a lot of sense to rent a video instead. Today we feature family-friendly, hit Instant Videos available to rent for just $2.99: less than half the cost of that single, child’s matinee ticket!

We Bought A Zoo (rated PG, 4.5/5 stars) – Following the death of his wife, a Boston newspaper columnist (the father of 13-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl) buys a dilapidated New Hampshire zoo in hopes of making a new start. Stars Matt Damon, Thomas Hayden Church and Scarlett Johansson.

John Carter (rated PG-13, 4.5/5 stars) – Transplanted to Mars, a Civil War vet discovers a lush planet inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter a princess who is in desperate need of a savior.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (rated PG, 4/5 stars) – The sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbusters ICE AGE and ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN are back, on an incredible adventure. This time, they’re beneath the ice, discovering a world of dinosaurs.

Also consider Ice Age and Ice Age: The Meltdown, both also rated PG, both also available to rent for $2.99, and both rated 4/5 stars or better.

How To Train Your Dragon (rated PG, 4.75/5 stars) – Hiccup is a young Viking who defies convention when he befriends one of his deadliest foes — a ferocious dragon he calls Toothless. But humans and dragons are supposed to be mortal enemies, not buddies, and this unlikely pair must overcome many obstacles and one ultimate challenge – to save … both their worlds.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (rated PG, 4/5 stars) – Your favorite castaways are back – still together and still lost! One of the top movies of the year, DreamWorks Animation’s MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA is “even better than the first!” (Mark Hyman, FOX-TV). You’ll laugh out loud as this outrageous comedy takes you on an African adventure like no other.

If your kids enjoy watching the animated critters in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, they might like to see the real-life counterparts in the nature documentary series, Madagascar. This three-part series is available to buy for $1.99 per episode, or $4.99 for the entire, three-part series. From Amazon:

Discover Madagascar’s most bizarre and dramatic places, and the unique wildlife that has made its home in each, thanks to the geology and isolation of this Alice-in-Wonderland world. Witness the animals that scamper around Madagascar’s unique landscape, some of which have never been before filmed and possibly never observed in the wild before.

So this weekend, why not save yourself a big pile of cash and make it an Instant Video movie night? Just add your own popcorn and soft drinks (at a fraction of the price you’d pay at a theater!), kick back and enjoy.