An interesting twist

I have a son in law who works for Disney so we often
talk about the changing nature of the movie business.  On Monday, when I was in Mexico City, I went to a Cinépolis - which is a big movie chain there.  We saw Gravity in 3D which was actually pretty good.

A couple of years ago I wrote about VIP theaters - where you get very comfortable seating and a very good range of food and beverages for a premium price.   That innovation is finally coming to the US in limited cities.

But on Monday I also noticed this Kiosk.   It has digital images of all of the movies available and a patron simply slides in a credit card and makes a choice and you get your tickets.   No lines, no confusion.

The next logical step is to adapt this to a smartphone application which will simply avoid the capital cost of the Kiosk.   The difference between this and a service like Fandango is that it does not involve any service charge - although the Fandango charge is certainly nominal.

I have not seen this kind of ticket dispenser in the US - although it could well be being used in some cities.   Movie theaters need to continue to think about what will bring people into the theater - ease of entry and an enhanced experience will both keep them in business.