On the cards: Buy movie tickets directly on Facebook

Beginning next week, Facebook users will have access to Fandango services through the social media site's ads or specific movie pages.

The ticketing service will initially be limited to a select few movies and theatre productions that include The Magnificent Seven, Kevin Hart: What Now? and Storks.

Movie pages that support the feature will have a 'Buy tickets' icon that appears at the top of the screen. Tapping it would allow users to look for nearby theatres and showtimes on the mobile app, while the desktop version would redirect users to Fandango's website.



Fandanngo has had great success over these couple of years by making it easy to buy tickets for movie goers and now it is taking its game to a new level by teaming up with Facebook.

“It’s not just about purchasing ease, it’s also about bringing along groups of people,” Fandanngo president Paul Yanover said. “Hey, we’re going to see this movie. Why don’t you come along? Great. Boom. Done.”

Julie Ask, an analyst with Forrester who was privately briefed by Fandango on its plans, offered an enthusiastic appraisal.

“Consumers, particularly young ones, find it inconvenient to hop into different silos to get something done,” she said. “They want it all in one place. That sounds obnoxious, I know — the definition of a first-world problem — but it’s true, and Fandango is solving it for them.”

Fandango has been trying to expand its operations with Facebook being only one area of expansion. The movie ticketing service collaborated with Apple allowing iPhone users to buy movie tickets without leaving their conversation in the Messages app. iPhone user with the latest iOS 10 operating system can tap on a Fandango applet while on the Messages page to bring up a display of nearby theaters and showtimes, along with purchasing options.



Fandango is also working with Snapchat to release a similar feature like Apple that will end the need to toggle between apps. “This is about Fandango appearing in these environments in an organic, natural way — the way people communicate with each other now, the way they actually discover, plan and buy,” Yanover said.

This article originally appeared on The New York Times.