Walletpop: Two national theater chains are offering free, or for as little as $1, admission to family movies this summer to keep the kids entertained during the hot months ahead. It's like having free airconditioning for a few hours!

Regal Cinemas started its free Family Film Festival this month, with nine weeks of movies for parents and kids to enjoy.

The G and PG rated movies start at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesdays, with seating limited to first-come, first-served until capacity is reached.

The free tickets are available at select theaters' box office on the day of the show.

You can check with your local Regal Cinemas theater for what's playing at these free shows, or look at its Web site to see what's playing in your state. Many of the movies are older. Some of the movies playing in California, for example, are "Charlotte's Web," "Curious George" and "Bee Movie." Your kids might have already seen them, but a free showing on a big screen can't be beat.

AMC Cinemas' Summer MovieCamp is every Wednesday from June 17 through Aug. 5, where kids' films will also be shown at 10 a.m. Admission is $1 per person, with the money and concession proceeds being donated to charity.

At the movie camp AMC is selling a "KidsPack" for $3, which is a kids' size drink, popcorn and snack. The snack can be upgraded to a regular candy for $1 more.

Not all of the AMC Cinemas' theaters are participating in the promotion, so check with your local AMC theater or look it up on AMC's Web site to see if the deal is available near you.

While both of these deals, free or not, look like a way to get more money out of parents for the high-priced concessions, it still looks like a deal.

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