Advance movie ticketing merchant MovieTickets.com is expanding its mobile offerings with free applications for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry.

A free MovieTickets.com application for Google’s Android phones is coming soon. For consumers who prefer to browse the Web on their phone, MovieTickets.com has debuted a redesigned mobile-optimized site that allows moviegoers to see showtimes and buy tickets at http://mobile.movietickets.com.

“Although we’ve had access to our ticketing inventory available through multiple, highly successful third-party applications, we felt it was time for a branded solution that enabled our consumers to engage directly with us,” said Joel Cohen, CEO of MovieTickets.com, Los Angeles. “We will continue to support our affiliate partners in the same manner that we have been, while simultaneously providing our users mobile versions of the MovieTickets.com service.

“The target demographic is really anyone who has a smartphone, as there has to be a high crossover percentage of smartphone owners who are also movie-goers,” he said. “One of our goals is to provide users access to showtimes and ticketing wherever they are and whatever their preference may be.

“That’s why you see the MovieTickets.com services attached to so many platforms: hundreds of Web sites, call-in phone services, social networking, kiosks and, of course, mobile.”

MovieTickets.com offers moviegoers a destination for movie news, reviews and trailers as well as a way to buy movie tickets in advance.

MovieTickets.com enables consumers to buy tickets online for movie screens across the United States, in Canada at MovieTickets.ca, in Britain at MovieTickets.co.uk, in Ireland at MovieTickets.ie, in Argentina at MovieTickets.com.ar, from any Internet-enabled wireless device at mobile.movietickets.com and from any phone at 877-789-MOVIE.

Formed in 2000, MovieTickets.com is a joint venture between AMC Entertainment, Hollywood Media Corp., National Amusements, Cineplex Entertainment, Marcus Theatres, Viacom and Time Warner.

Its collection of partner theaters consistently represents more than 50 percent of the top 100 grossing theaters in North America on any given weekend. The MovieTickets.com theater chain group includes 216 theater chains.

Mobile ticketing ramps up
In addition to providing a way for consumers to view movie showtimes and purchase tickets within the applications, the MovieTickets.com-branded applications also let users browse films, view movie posters and watch trailers.

With more than 200 theater chains available for ticketing on each platform, users have a wide variety of theater options to choose from.

The applications use the built-in GPS functions found in smartphones, which lets consumers search for local showtimes on their phones by using location-finding features or simply by inputting a ZIP code.

Consumers can buy tickets as a “guest” or they can sign into their MovieTickets.com account, where they will have access to their stored credit cards to complete a purchase.

Users still have to enter their three- or four-digit credit card security code.

A mobile purchase made through a MovieTickets.com account will appear within a user’s MovieTickets.com purchase history online.

Mr. Cohen said that many movie-goers expect to quickly and conveniently access information and make ticket purchases anytime and anywhere.

Over the past couple of years, the company has recognized the demand for MovieTickets.com-branded applications and Mr. Cohen hopes to see a positive response with this launch.

“It’s a little early to tell, but we expect the impact of mobile commerce to increase over time and provide incremental sales,” Mr. Cohen said. “There’s an added convenience and an incredible ease of use on the new mobile platforms that I believe many users have come to rely on.”

Final Take