According to the company, Fandango set the record for the most mobile movie tickets sold during a summer movie season. Additionally, the company sold more mobile tickets for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” than it has for any other film.

“We knew ‘Part 2? would be big, but we did not expect it would be this big,” said Jessica Yi, chief product officer at Fandango, Los Angeles.

“We sold out more than 6,000 midnight showtimes on Fandango alone, and Fandango ended up representing 19 percent of the film’s domestic opening weekend, our largest share for any movie in the company’s 11-year history,” she said.

“It’s also the new mobile ticket sales record holder – it’s the movie with the most tickets ever sold via mobile applications on Fandango. Friday, July 15 was the top day for mobile ticket sales in Fandango history.”

Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance.

Mobile tickets
According to Fandango, mobile plays a vital role in the success of movie ticket with a g rowing percentage of consumers owning a smartphone.

Recently, the company redesigned its mobile site – specifically for on-the-go consumers.

Fandango’s mobile apps let filmgoers browse through movies playing in their area, conduct a quick local search for movies that start within the hour by using the Go Now button and buy tickets straight from their mobile device.

“We have seen a remarkable increase in mobile ticket sales leading up to opening day of Harry Potter,” Ms. Yi said. “It’s not just for impulse buys anymore.

“For many moviegoers, it’s the way they buy their tickets, as they’re no longer tethered to their computer,” she said. “The previous record-holder was ‘The Hangover II’ – which makes sense in a way, as it was a strong, younger-skewing title with name brand recognition.

“Even though the critical reviews were mixed, the fan ratings and reviews on Fandango were positive and it made for a popular Memorial Day holiday diversion that did very well for us on mobile.”

Mobile site
Fandango’s mobile site also lets moviegoers go paperless at select theaters with its Mobile Ticket feature.

Mobile Ticket generates a unique bar-coded ticket on a consumer’s device, which can be scanned by the ticket taker to enter the movie theater.

“Our mobile apps have introduced many new customers to Fandango, some of whom never used Fandango on the Web,” Ms. Yi said.

“Mobile is critical to the future of the movie business,” she said. “I believe that as many as one in every four tickets could be purchased through smartphones and tablets by year’s end.”

Final Take
Rimma Kats is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York