Tuesday 2 February 2010

Movie ticket vending machines

When considering the different ways we buy movie tickets these days, a thought occurred: why don't they just have a computer at the cinema to buy tickets from? It should reduce their costs and increase profits or (if you're optimistic) reduce ticket prices.
They already have the online services to do so. I'm sure it would be a snap.


Mokalus of Borg

PS - I conclude from the service charges that Event Cinemas charge online that they don't want you buying your tickets that way.
PPS - Which is silly, because it must be the easiest money they ever made.

3 comments:

Erin Marie said...

I may be wrong, but I believe at Indooro there is a machine from which you can pick up your pre-purchased tickets.

I think they probably make you buy/pick them up from the counters so that they tempt you into buying their ridiculously overpriced snacks. If we got our tickets from machines and could then just into the cinema, everyone would be much more likely to buy their snacks from elsewhere to take in.

John said...

I remember the machine at Indooroopilly, and I think it's probably still there, but I never used it. Can you only pick up pre-purchased tickets there, or can you buy them from the machine directly?

Good point about the snacks. $7 popcorn must have a pretty hefty margin.

Erin Marie said...

I think it was a pickup of pre-purchase only.