- by Jerry
[November 8, 2001]

The most anticipated movie of the year doesn't open until Nov. 16, but already a record number of tickets have been snapped up by moviegoers who want to catch "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" during its opening weekend.

At the three major online movie ticketers—AOL Moviefone, Fandango and MovieTickets.com Inc.—words like "tremendous" and "phenomenal" only begin to describe the activity on their Websites.

"By far, we're selling more tickets in advance for 'Harry Potter' than any of the other hit movies of the season—and we're still several days from the opening," says Fandango CEO Art Levitt, who puts the young wizard's performance well ahead of summer standouts "The Mummy Returns," "Pearl Harbor" and "Rush Hour 2."

For rival AOL Moviefone, it also has been a peak experience. "We're setting records for usage," says Tommy McGloin, senior vice president and general manager of the New York-based service. "We've already sold tens of thousands of tickets already (as of Nov. 5). It's completely unprecedented."

If online ticket purchases are going to click with moviegoers, this is the season for it to happen. Starting with "Monsters, Inc." and continuing with "Harry Potter," there's a bounty of potential hit films making their way to theaters. After "Potter" comes "Spy Game," the CIA thriller starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt; "Ocean's Eleven" the re-teaming of "Erin Brockovich" Oscar winners Julia Roberts and director Steven Soderbergh; "Vanilla Sky," with Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz; and the first of the "Lord of the Rings" movies.

"When you have these films that are expected to do really well, that's when these online ticketing services are terrific," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co., Inc. "They offer you anxiety-free ticket buying without driving all the way to the theater and finding out you can't get into the movie you want to see."

Surfing for tickets

Tickets can be picked up at the box office or a special kiosk near the theater's entrance.

All three sites add a service charge—usually about $1 per ticket depending on theater company and location. Some would say that's a small price for the assurance there will be a seat waiting when you arrive.

"A perfect example is a first date," says Nancy Klasky, vice president of marketing at Century Theatres, which enlists Fandango for its online ticket sales. "You want everything to go perfectly. You don't want to leave anything to chance,"

To be sure, some theater circuits are selling plenty of "Harry Potter" tickets through their own Web sites. And customers at most, if not all, chains can purchase tickets in advance at the theater box office, with some circuits selling them earlier than others. AMC, for example, has tickets available at theaters a week before each showing.

Online lead times can be greater than at the theater, with Fandango offering tickets as early as 28 days before a movie opens. Of course, with something like "Harry Potter," all three online ticketers have been busy with advance sales since last week.

Making going to the movies "as easy as possible"

Fandango, which has tickets for more than 5,500 screens at seven chains, is working to streamline going to the movies even more. The Santa Monica-based company has 60-plus theaters wired to accept tickets printed by customers from their computers at home or work.

"Print-at-home is the most revolutionary idea that's ever come to movie ticketing," Century Theatres' Klasky says.

Century, which plans to expand the feature to all of its theaters throughout the Western U.S., is joining other circuits in expanding the service. Edwards, General Cinema and Loews Cineplex will, in the next 30 to 60 days, begin accepting customer-printed tickets at some locations, according to Levitt.

"We are in this business of wanting people to come to the movies, so we should make it as easy as possible for them," Klasky says.

Fandango also is testing the feasibility of reserved parking and seating, and advance purchase of concession items.

Industry leader Moviefone, linked to 8,000-plus screens at 17 circuits, offers reserved seating at select theaters. However, a primary emphasis at the company (owned by AOL Time Warner, the parent of Warner Bros., which is releasing "Harry Potter") is increasing its accessibility. Besides the Internet and telephone, the service also is available on the Palm VII connected organizer, AT&T Digital PocketNet and Sprint PCS Internet-ready units.

"What people really want to know is this: Where the movie is playing and at what time," McGloin says. "We focus most of our efforts on that end."

Moviegoers already have demonstrated a huge interest in using the Internet to search for information about their passion. Nielsen/NetRatings, which tracks "hits" on Web sites, reports the five top movie studio sites recorded more than 2.5 million unique visits during the first week of October.

Additionally, a survey by the company found that more than 60 percent of Web surfers at least sometimes use the Internet to find movie showtimes, plus one in five moviegoers who have made online purchases have also dropped movie tickets into their shopping carts.

"'Harry Potter' will be a watershed phenomenon for just that reason," McGloin says. "We found that once people try advanced ticketing on the Web, they like it and they'll do it again. They're going to be customers for a long time because they're going to have a good experience doing it—plus they'll see the convenience and the benefit."

WIRED FOR MOVIES

The 411 about online movie ticket sellers:

AOL Moviefone

Theaters: City Cinema, Classic, Clearview, Colorado, Crown, General Cinema, Harkins, Loews Cineplex, Mann Theatres, Starr, United Artists; and through a tie-in with Movietickets.com: AMC, Cinemaworld, Famous Players, Marcus Theatres, Muvico, National Amusements

Call: 777-FILM

Internet: www.moviefone.com

Fandango

Theaters: Carmike Cinemas, Century Theatres, Cinemark Theatres, Edwards Cinemas, General Cinema, Loews Cineplex, Regal Cinemas

Call: (800) 555-TELL

Internet: www.fandango.com

MovieTickets.com Inc.

Theaters: AMC, Cinema World, Famous Players, Hollywood Media, Hoyts, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements

Call: Phone service unavailable

Internet: www.movietickets.com

See Moviepie's reviews of the Harry Potter movies:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)