Digital movie ticketing platform Atom Tickets and the Independent Cinema Alliance representing more than 175 companies and 3,000 screens, have formed a partnership to create an easy way for independent theaters to offer contactless, digital ticketing for movie fans. The first group of theatres to sign on and activate digital ticketing under the partnership include Premiere Cinemas, with theatres in Texas, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico and South Carolina; CineLux Theatres in California; Rainbow Cinemas in Alabama; Park Plaza Cinema in South Carolina; and Palace Cinema and Hollywood 20 Cinema, both in Tennessee.
The partnership comes at a critical time for independent cinema owners and assists them with no-cost access to industry-leading technology during this recovery period from the pandemic shutdown. The unique partnership aims to expand digital ticketing to independent theaters in an easy way: a pre-negotiated agreement provides a seamless signup experience followed by a technical integration coordinated by Atom’s in-house technical support and on-boarding team.
“We’re thrilled to have this much-needed partnership in place during this critical time for independent cinemas and are committed to marketing them to our movie fans,” said Max Lynn, head of corporate development and exhibitor relations at Atom Tickets. “We must do what we can to help our industry succeed. Delivering the best movie ticketing technology for theaters of all sizes and making it easier for movie fans to enjoy going to the movies is core to our mission.”
Through this deal, independent cinema owners gain access to millions of movie fans that make up Atom’s young, diverse audience and partnerships with Snapchat, Amazon, T-Mobile and others. Atom will also develop ongoing marketing communications to local users to drive more customers to independent cinemas via the Atom app and website. Cinemas owners can also choose to integrate Atom’s ticketing on their own website.
"ICA is committed to creating opportunities for independent exhibitors and we are excited to launch our new partnership with Atom,” said Todd Halstead, ICA executive director. “People want to get back to the movies, and Atom’s industry-leading digital ticketing platform and their marketing support will help independent exhibitors bring back the magic of moviegoing to communities across the country.”
“While we have focused on delivering a safe and entertaining experience across our 28 locations, contactless ticketing has been something we knew we wanted to offer our customers but until Atom Tickets partnered with ICA, we didn’t have an easy way to get access to that kind of technology,” said Martin Watson from Premiere Cinemas. “We’re thrilled to have Atom as a partner and look forward to working with them to drive awareness for our locations being back in business.”
As theaters reopen across the country, Atom recently conducted a survey and based on over 16,000 U.S. digital moviegoer respondents found that 87 percent of moviegoers said that purchasing digital tickets from their own device and eliminating the need to interact with a cashier is an important safety measure. By offering contactless, digital ticketing, regional cinema owners will also have a better way manage attendance requirements while putting customers at ease with the ability to reserve social distant seats. Atom is committed to proactively messaging safety measures and protocols at local cinemas through persistent banners and on-platform messaging in the Atom app and website.
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