A new cell phone service is available that lets people get their movie tickets on their cell phones.
It's being rolled out by Fandango and Bakersfield is among the first eight cities to get it.
Moviegoers purchase tickets online and have them delivered straight to their mobile phones via MMS text message or email.
There are no tickets to print and users can skip the box office or ticket kiosk and go straight to the ticket collector inside the theater.
Once inside, the ticket collector simply scans the barcode in the message on the phone.
Reading Cinemas Valley Plaza 16 is the first theater in Bakersfield to team up with Fandango to offer the service.
Fandango's news release is as follows:
Fandango Launches “Mobile Ticket” at Movie Theaters in Eight Markets (SHOWEST/Las Vegas – March 15, 2010) - Fandango, the nation’s leading moviegoer destination, is unveiling a new convenience for film fans, where they can get movie tickets sent as barcodes to their mobile phones. Fandango is rolling out its “Mobile Ticket” program in eight markets around the country, with more markets to come.
The benefit is that moviegoers can simply take their mobile phones straight to the theater ticket-taker, who scans the phones’ barcode, allowing customers to bypass the box office windows and kiosks.
Fandango’s Mobile Ticket works with most mobile carriers, and does not require a smart phone. The program is rolling out to more than 100 screens in the Reading Cinemas circuit, including:
- New York: City Cinemas 1, 2 & 3, Angelika Film Center, East 86th Street Cinemas, Village East Cinema, Beekman Theatre, The Paris Theatre.
- New Jersey: Manville 12 Plex.
- Houston: Angelika Film Center.
- Dallas/Plano: Angelika Dallas; Angelika Plano.
- San Diego: La Mesa Grossmont Center, Clairemont Town Square Stadium.
- Bakersfield: Valley Plaza 16.
- Sonoma County: Rohnert Park 16.
- Hawaii: Ward Stadium, Kahala Theater, Kapolei 16, Mililani Stadium.
“We’ve already seen success in the mobile space with our variety of apps for the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm and others,” says Rick Butler, Chief Operating Officer of Fandango. “We know that Mobile Ticket will be one more Fandango convenience that moviegoers will enjoy. Our cell phones are with us all the time – so what better way to ensure you have your movie ticket?”
"Reading Cinemas is honored to work with such an innovative company like Fandango," said Terri Moore, Vice President of Theater Operations for Reading Cinemas’ Western division. "Fandango’s Mobile Ticket is extremely convenient and our customers really enjoy being on the cutting edge of this new technology."
About Fandango
One of the Web’s top movie and entertainment destinations, Fandango sells tickets to more than 16,000 screens. Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance. Fandango is available at www.fandango.com, 1-800-FANDANGO and via your wireless mobile device at mobile.fandango.com. Fandango is a unit of Comcast Interactive Media.
