Snapchat, Atom Tickets Launch Social Ticketing Service Aimed At Capturing Pent-Up Moviegoing Demand

Snapchat and Atom Tickets have launched “Movie Tickets By Atom,” a ticketing service first announced two months ago as part of the line of “Minis” unveiled by the social network.

The app provides users in the U.S. and Canada with trailers and tickets and connects moviegoers’ plans with their personal networks. While COVID-19 has eliminated the traditional summer blockbuster season, with theater closures ongoing in New York, California and other states, theater circuits have gradually begun to reopen across the U.S.

The partners in the new ticketing venture say it will capitalize on pent-up demand. Atom said it surveyed 16,000 moviegoers online and found that 74% are ready to return to theaters in the next month, with 40% interested in an immediate return.

“With safety measures in place and movie fans eager to return to the movies, we knew the timing was right to launch Atom’s ticketing experience on Snapchat,” said Matthew Bakal, co-founder and chairman of Atom Tickets, whose backers include Disney and Lionsgate. “We’re happy to provide a safe, contactless digital service that gives movie fans what they want – a little time to escape and enjoy a movie.”

Movie Tickets By Atom Snap Minis allows users to “bypass the group texts and money requests that come with organizing a traditional movie night with friends,” in the words of the launch press release. The service is also in tune with the health and safety precautions of the pandemic, its creators maintain. Seating maps will correlate with the capacity limits observed by theater chains in compliance with state and local officials. The app also promotes contactless ticketing, one of the key elements of exhibitors’ new CinemaSafe program.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have ‘Movie Tickets By Atom’ launch on Snapchat. Atom has built a seamless ecommerce experience for the Snap Minis platform, bringing the best of Atom Tickets to Snapchatters across North America,” said Alston Cheek, Director of Platform Partnerships at Snap Inc.