Fandango expands Mobile Ticket service to Regal theaters

Moviegoer services provider Fandango is expanding its paperless ticketing solution to Regal Entertainment Group, the nation's largest theater chain, enabling customers to purchase theater passes sent directly to their smartphones as 2D barcodes.

Consumers who've purchased Fandango Mobile Ticket access can bypass the box-office window or ticketing kiosks, proceeding directly to the ticket-taker outside the theater entrance. After the ticket-taker scans the barcode on their phone, patrons can go directly to their seats. The program will go live across more than 1,000 Regal screens nationwide in advance of the Nov. 18 release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1.

Fandango's existing movie ticketing apps tout nearly 20 million downloads across mobile platforms including iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7. The firm reports ticket purchases on mobile devices have increased 73 percent in 2011: This summer, Fandango accounted 19 percent ($32 million) of all tickets sold during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2's opening weekend, adding that close to 20 percent ($6.5 million) of those sales originated via mobile. With the Regal Entertainment Group partnership, Mobile Ticket is now available at more than 1,200 screens. Release