Warner Bros and MGM
In the area of ”Oh, that’s interesting”, a Webedia Movies Pro survey shows a significant increase in online box office purchases and a relative decrease in in-theatre purchases. So says the study (entitled “From Discovery to Purchase – The Cinema Experience Begins Online – A Box Office Profile”), which was commissioned by Webedia Movies Pro and produced by Vertigo Research, and which surveyed 100,000 viewers upon their release in theaters over the past year, online ticket purchases increased by 18.7% over to the previous year. Conversely, in-theatre (or theatrical) ticket purchases fell 5.4% from 2017. Of note, online ticket buyers were 1.7 times more likely to visit the multiplex in groups of two or more, while theatrical buyers were 1.4 times more likely to see a movie on their own.
Online shoppers were 2.1 times more likely to buy concessions and (if available) 1.7 times more likely to buy a meal compared to theater ticket shoppers. In 2018, the study found a 44% increase in moviegoers who purchased online and watched movies on a premium 2D screen format. 3D, Premium 3D and IMAX also saw more moviegoers buying online. Yes, more and more moviegoers buying their tickets online are choosing reserved seats, recliners and premium seats with specifics depending on the website they use. 60.4% of moviegoers who bought their ticket online had premium seats compared to 37.9% for those who bought their ticket at the cinema.
As the study notes, buying tickets online has an impact on moviegoers’ choice of venue. Factors such as showtimes, movies shown, proximity to theater and ticket price saw minimal difference between online and offline box office. Comfort, which would include type of seating, and reserved seating have become major factors when selecting a theater for online ticket buyers. 28% of online ticket buyers said they chose the theater because of reserved seating, while only 7.6% of those who purchased at the theater cited this reason. 36% of moviegoers surveyed chose their cinema for its comfort, compared to only 25.9% of offline buyers.
36.8% of these online ticket buyers bought their tickets directly from the cinema’s website or app, rather than a third-party provider, but third-party online ticketing providers have also grown in popularity. 2018. The importance of cinema websites or apps can also be understood by their growing popularity as destination showtimes. Indeed, 72% of moviegoers who found the schedules on the site finalized their purchase on the same platform. It is also the top source for patrons purchasing tickets to the theater as 30.9% used their theater’s website to find out showtimes, a proportion increasing from 12.5% in 2018. Similarly, 30, 7% of online shoppers viewed showtimes on their local theater’s website, marking an 8% year-over-year increase.
It should be noted that online ticketing represents only 21.5% of the total market share. Anyway, the full study can be found HERE. So what does all this mean? First, as it becomes easier to buy tickets on your phone through various apps (Fandango and Atom are easy enough for me to buy a ticket at a red light), we will see an increase in online ticketing. Ditto because the different chains encourage online purchases by automatically calculating your “points” earned through their different clubs (AMC A-List, Regal Club, etc.) and thus avoid the hassle of having several cards on you.
I would also argue that this offers further evidence for the idea that consumers choose in-theatre as an intentional, product-specific entertainment option. They are less likely than a few years ago to go to the movies just to go to the movies. As the notion of going to the movies as an impulsive choice or an impulsive/casual entertainment option loses popularity, I expect to see a greater percentage of tickets reflected in online sales and reflected in premium offers (IMAX, 3-D, Dolby Cinema, D-Box and general high-end multiplexes).
Those who choose to go to the movies will do so because there is a specific movie they wish to see, and they will plan a bit in advance and be more likely to splurge for a cinematic experience no doubt superior. After all, if you want to see a new movie enough to drop $7-12 on a conventional movie ticket, you’re probably likely to plan ahead, aim for a high-end cinema most likely to offer a cinematic experience. quality and possibly splurge for an extra IMAX or Dolby Cinema if such a thing is offered. And if you want to splurge, you’ll want to do it early enough to ensure you get the size and seat you prefer.
If buying your movie ticket at the box office is the bastion of impulsive or casual cinema, something you do when you go to the movies just to go to the movies, I expect to see a drop (especially for non-family films) in such ticket purchases, as theatrical theatrical releases, become more concentrated among the few event films in a given season that A) could potentially sell out on opening weekend and B) arguably warrant seeing it in the biggest, fanciest, or highest-end theatrical experience available. Granted, we’re still only talking about less than a quarter of all ticket sales recorded, but I expect that number to grow exponentially over the next five years.
