Furloughed? You're eligible for free popcorn

The government shutdown is not sitting well with the American public, but since some are now faced with extra free time during the furlough, we thought we'd offer some possible movie picks to help pass the hours ...

Yes, sadly the Panda-cam has gone dark during the shutdown, but there are still tons of other loveable animals you can enjoy, including the cast of the 2005 hit film "Madagascar."

Think this whole situation is really sticking it to the little man? Check out the 1978 film "Blue Collar," starring the late Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel.

With all this attention on the White House, a must-see would be Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the 1976 film, "All the President's Men."

Worried about NASA? Check out 1995's "Apollo 13" starring Bill Paxton, Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon.

Some have expressed concern about the health of the nation, but at least our situation isn't as concerning as what Marion Cotillard's Dr. Leonora Orantes faced in 2011's "Contagion."

Worried about a lack of funds at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention? Maybe the 1995 film "Outbreak" starring Dustin Hoffman will be a nice escape -- probably not though.

The American Battle Monuments Commission is closed, but those desiring a bit of war history can watch the 1989 film "Glory," about the United States Civil War.

No Smithsonian? Talk about a bummer. But your hankering for artifacts can be appeased with the 2004 film "National Treasure" starring Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger and Jon Voight.

And if your tastes run toward conspiracy theories, there's always the 1962 thriller "The Manchurian Candidate." Here, star Frank Sinatra drags a soaking wet Laurence Harvey from the lake during location filming in Central Park in February 1962.

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Movies to watch during the shutdown

Movies to watch during the shutdown

Movies to watch during the shutdown

Movies to watch during the shutdown

Movies to watch during the shutdown

Movies to watch during the shutdown

Movies to watch during the shutdown

Movies to watch during the shutdown

Movies to watch during the shutdown

Movies to watch during the shutdown

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(CNN) -- This is not a great week to be a government employee, but one movie theater chain is trying to ease the pain.

AMC has announced that its theaters are offering free small popcorns to those employed by the government, regardless of whether a movie ticket is also purchased.

Instead, the individual needs to simply present a valid government or military-issued ID at a concession stand. If they're particularly hungry, they can apply the discount offer to a larger size.

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"There are hundreds of thousands of federal workers whose lives are being impacted," AMC's executive vice president of operations, John McDonald, said in a statement.

"While we can't do anything to resolve gridlock in Washington, D.C., we can provide a few hours of entertainment and free popcorn while they wait to get back to work."

The government shutdown went into effect on October 1 and has furloughed around 800,000 federal employees. One major aspect to this shutdown that remains unanswered is how long those workers will have to wait until they see their next paycheck.

AMC says in its statement that the gratis snackage "is good until common sense is restored in Washington, D.C., or, more likely, until the shutdown ends or we run out of free popcorn."

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