MovieTickets.com Developing Next-Generation Mobile Ticket

Theaters will no longer have to rely on scanners to read tickets from customers’ smartphones

Movie tickets are increasingly becoming a thing of the past, and MovieTickets.com announced on Monday that it is preparing to introduce ticket buyers to the next-generation mobile ticket, which the company describes as “a game changer.”

While mobile tickets are already used by a number of theaters, like popular Los Angeles movie destination ArcLight Cinemas, the online box office’s new technology will eliminate the need for theater employees to rely on scanners to read the tickets.

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Instead, the new technology developed in partnership with Bytemark will turn a smartphone into a ticket that can be visually validated.

Rival ticket retailer Fandango has also been testing barcode-less mobile technology for the last year.

Each ticket has several security features that include animated watermarks, touch animations and color changes. These security features can be changed as often as once per showtime and are concealed from users until the tickets are activated prior to the performance.

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Tickets will also include a virtual “tear” feature that will allow a user’s mobile device to act as a ticket stub during a visit to the theater.

Bytemark’s patented V3, or the “visually verifiable virtual ticket,” is already being used successfully in the transit space with The NY Waterway in New York City, The South Shore line in Chicago and Cap Metro in Austin Texas.

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“Our new mobile ticket is a game changer. Not only will this make going to the movies more enjoyable for audiences, but it will also deliver enormous value to our exhibitor partners,” Joel Cohen, CEO of MovieTickets.com, said. “This is another innovation that supports our commitment to providing customers with a convenient way of purchasing tickets with a streamlined process that demonstrates ease and security.”

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