My oldest was turning 5 in the middle of December. We wanted to have a really good party because this was a big birthday! He and his Grandpa are movie buffs! What better way to share his love of movies than a party at the Theathre?  I called the local Dollar Movie theathre and convinced the Manager to let me rent out one of their smaller auditoriums at a discounted rate (.99 per seat x 100 seats). The original pricing per seat is $1.78. The Manager also let us buy large buckets of popcorn for .25 each WITH FREE REFILLS. In order to save more money, I bought 2 pks of brown paper lunch bags and had the parents help whenever the kids wanted a refill on their popcorn.  I also bought jug juices from a local dscount market. Home-made cupcakes were our give away gifts AND his birday cake. He can't stand regular cake but loves cupcakes. So instead of forcing him to eat a cake that he hates. I made cupcakes and stuck a candle in one, sang happy birthday and viola, we're good. The invitations were printed at home and featured a movie reel, a three D star and his movie time and place were in big bold letters. The invitations also mentioned that we prepaid for the entire auditorium so EVERYBODY was welcomed (entire families, their neighbors etc). Also we had a table and balloons set up (courtesy of the movie theathre) for gifts, goodies and cupcakes. The Manager let us get nice and comfy before they started the movie. It was basically set up for our viewing pleasure. So in essence, we had a really good time. All in all: A private theathre (auditorium). Even the smaller kids had a blast because they could run around the auditorium without parents being embarrased. Hey we've all been there. So they (the parents) got a chance to relax and not wonder if anybody was upset about their energetic toddlers (including my 1 yr old son). My son got to be the center of attention. And I only spent at little over $160 for the entire thing!