"First Man": Vets and active-duty service members offered free tickets to Neil Armstrong film

Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in “First Man.” Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in “First Man.” Photo: Daniel McFadden, Photographer / Daniel McFadden/Universal Pictures Photo: Daniel McFadden, Photographer / Daniel McFadden/Universal Pictures Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close "First Man": Vets and active-duty service members offered free tickets to Neil Armstrong film 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

"First Man," the new feature film about astronaut Neil Armstrong, opens wide Friday, but many theaters are screening the film today. And more than 500 Regal theaters will be offering a total of 14,000 free tickets to the film for veterans and active duty service members today.

The first 25 service members to arrive at participating locations with a valid, government-issued military ID will be given a ticket to the 7 p.m. screening of the film. A full list of participating theaters can be found here. In the Houston area, it includes the Greenway Grand Plaza, the Marq*E Stadium 23, the West Oaks Mall Stadium 14, the Grand Parkway RPX 22 and the Lone Star 19 IMAX.

Theaters in Conroe, Beaumont, Lake Jackson, College Station and other towns and cities are also participating.

"First Man" is the latest film by director Damien Chazelle, whose "Whiplash" and "La La Land" were both award-winning films. Ryan Gosling plays Armstrong, the able astronaut and reluctant hero, who became the first man to walk on the moon.

Before becoming a test pilot and astronaut, Armstrong was a Naval aviator who flew scores of combat missions in the Korean War.