After looking at Movie Tickets to evaluate their online movie ticket service, we were pretty pleased. Why worry if those tickets to the blockbuster of the summer are going to be sold out when you already drove to your local theater? Movie Tickets makes it easy to snag them from the comfort of your own home. We didn’t think there was too much going on when we pulled open their site, but keep reading to see our whole experience below.
What’s New?
- Check movie listings and buy movie tickets through your wireless phone
- Free podcast movie descriptions and ‘coming soon’
- View trailers for top ten box office movies and family-friendly films
Star Reviews Favorite Feature:
Kid-friendly features: Fun content kids will be interested in, including trailers for family films and photos from other kid-friendly flicks such as the Harry Potter series. Children can also play movie-themed games and take polls on the site.
Movie Tickets Features:
- Purchase tickets online for more than 80 theater chains
- Tickets can be printed at home or picked up at convenient kiosks
- View movie information, including plot summaries, cast lists, and reviews
- Weekend box office hits
- Movie Marketplace-Buy posters and other fun items from your favorite films
- Movie Cards-Purchase them as gifts for friends and family
Navigating the Movie Tickets website:
Upon entry to this online movie ticket service, we expected a lot more. The site was very basic without a whole lot of frills, but there is a reason why many of the other movie sites we reviewed utilize Movie Tickets’ ticket-purchasing functions. We liked the handy ‘Your Favorite Theaters’ search box, which you can use to customize your local theater list. There are also easily accessible links to vitals like ‘Trailers,’ ‘News,’ ‘Podcasts,’ and ‘Now Playing.’ We were really happy to finally see a ‘Customer Service’ link clearly displayed, as these were absent on many other movie ticket sites. Overall, you shouldn’t run into too many issues navigating their website.
Theater & Ticket Availability
We were impressed that Movie Tickets provides service for 80 chains throughout the United States as well as theaters in Canada, England, and Ireland. They have partnered with some of the top grossing theaters in the country, including AMC, Silver Screen, and more. Many other online movie sites partnered with them, as well for their ticket-purchasing options. Tickets for movies can be purchased between one week and one month in advance depending on the film and the theater. You can also use Movie Tickets’ service to order tickets for midnight showings and other special screenings, which definitely comes in handy.
Getting your tickets on Movie Tickets:
We desperately needed some tickets for the weekend, so we decided to search by movie, where we were prompted to enter our zip code and a date.
We were presented with a list of movies in our area. The ones listed at the top in blue are the ones who have partnered with Movie Tickets, such as Yahoo Movies. To buy tickets, click on the screening time you’d like to attend and you’ll be taken to a new page where you can select the number of tickets for adults, children, and seniors. You’ll also see the convenience charge added to each ticket on this screen. Your total charges are updated automatically as you enter the quantities.
Next, we created an account and registered to complete our order. We were asked to enter payment information, and note that orders can only be paid for by credit or debit card, and the theaters determine which payment methods are accepted. You’ll have a chance to review your order before submitting it, and receive a confirmation of your order and instructions on how to retrieve or print movie tickets.
Pricing:
Movie Tickets’ ticket prices are determined by each theater separately. However, they do charge a convenience fee for each ticket you order through their services. While the convenience fee is also determined by each theater, most of the theaters charge $1 per ticket.
Customer Support:
Movie Tickets provides customer support information up front through its own tab. There is a comprehensive FAQs section with detailed and helpful answers that will assist most customers in finding the information they need. They also offer customer service by email and by toll-free number. We received an email inquiry response within 24 hours, but it contained information verbatim from the web site.
Their customer service by phone also had weaknesses. Although the menu was easy to navigate, we were on hold for more than three minutes and were even prompted to leave a message so our call could be returned later. We stayed on the line and were eventually helped by a representative who showed limited interest in answering our question, ending our call after a very brief, unexplained response. This definitely didn’t make us happy, as customer support should always be friendly.
Upside:
Low convenience fee. Service available for many theaters. Kid-friendly page.
Downside:
Telephone support quick to get off the line. Response by email was fast but automated.
Summary:
Overall, we felt that Movie Tickets offers a great experience for anyone interested in the latest movies out on the Hollywood scene. They actually provide ticket-purchasing through their site and provide this service to many of their partners. Navigating the website is easy enough, with all important links clearly indicated. There weren’t as many community functions or fan reviews here, but they did have the basics of a movie site like trailers, images, and upcoming movies. Convenience charges per ticket run at $1 per ticket, which is worth it if you like reserving tickets from your home or office. Customer support was ok, with a detailed FAQs section and good email support. Telephone support was a disappointment, however. We, all in all, do recommend this online movie ticket service to anyone wanting to catch a flick in the future.