Showcase Cinemas Launches New Movie Ticket Purchase Skill Available On Any Alexa-Enabled Device; Showcase Cinemas Offers 1,000 Free Tickets To First Customers Who Use Skill

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Nov 23, 2020, 09:30 ET

NORWOOD, Mass., Nov. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Showcase Cinemas, a world leader in the motion picture exhibition industry, launched today its first voice-powered, hands-free, ticketing purchase app that directly pairs with Amazon's Alexa digital assistant. The new Showcase Cinemas voice skill, created in partnership with The Boxoffice Company, allows moviegoers to hear about nearby movies playing at Showcase Cinemas and directly purchase tickets using Amazon Pay.

The Showcase Cinemas tickets skill for Amazon Alexa works once enabled and a customer voice-selects a theater and film such as "The Croods: A New Age." At that point, Alexa will ask: "The Croods: A New Age is playing today at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Which time works best for you?" Specifically, the Showcase Cinemas tickets skill enables consumers to:

Select Movie Format: Select movie tickets for standard or premium formats like XPLUS, IMAX or MX4D.
Reserve Seats: The Showcase Cinemas tickets skill for Amazon Alexa allows customers to buy tickets by voice directly from Showcase.
Use Amazon Pay: Customers can easily check out with the voice skill without reaching for a credit card (using Amazon Pay). It's simple and secure.
Scan Digital Tickets: Once tickets are purchased, Showcase sends the tickets directly to a customer's email. That email may be scanned at the theater straight from a phone.

Showcase Cinemas is celebrating the skill launch by providing one free adult general admission ticket per transaction for any film or Event Cinema programming for the first 1,000 customers who use the Showcase skill (while supplies last). Customers just need to use the skill on an Alexa-enabled device to order a ticket and that ticket will be free (one ticket per transaction).

"We're thrilled to make ticket purchasing even easier through a voice skill and Amazon Alexa," said Mark Malinowski, Vice President of Global Marketing for Showcase Cinemas. "Showcase Cinemas is thrilled to use Amazon's Alexa digital assistant to provide a hands-free, voice ticket purchase skill. Our offer of 1,000 free tickets via Alexa-enabled devices for a movie or event cinemas programing is a great way to celebrate the Showcase skill launch!"

Showcase customers may enable the skill within the Alexa mobile app by tapping the menu at the top left of the screen, tapping Skills & Games and searching for Showcase Cinemas Tickets or by simply saying, "Alexa, enable Showcase Cinemas." Once it's set up, and depending on a customer's location, the skill asks them if they "want the movies there" (for a specific theater) or if they want to "pick a movie first" if there are multiple Showcase locations in the area. Showcase will handle the entire transaction, including picking a customer's favorite theater, choosing the desired film, and even reserving seats. Tickets are paid for through a customer's Amazon Pay account.

"We're thankful that Showcase trusted our innovative capabilities to develop such a skill, providing hands-free, contactless technology for moviegoers," said Stan Ruszkowski, President of The Boxoffice Company.

New contactless technology is one of the ways Showcase is keeping health and safety as its first priority. It's part of Showcase Cinemas' "Be Showcase Safe" program that has been developed and certified with J.S. Held, an environmental, health and safety firm led by noted toxicologists, epidemiologists and an Assistant Surgeon General, US Public Health Service (Retired). Be Showcase Safe includes employee health screenings before starting work; food and beverage manager ServSafe^TM Food Safety Certification; installation of air-purifying systems for all US theaters; reduced auditorium seating capacity; automatic seating social distancing; increased/enhanced auditorium cleaning between shows and in high-touch surface areas; employee and customer protective mask requirements; social distancing markers; and the availability of hand-sanitizing stations.

About Showcase Cinemas
Showcase Cinemas is a world leader in the motion picture exhibition industry, operating more than 906 movie screens in the U.S., U.K., Argentina and Brazil under the Showcase, Cinema de Lux, SuperLux and UCI brands. With 25 theater locations in the United States, Showcase Cinemas delivers the finest entertainment experience, offering the best in viewing, comfort and dining. For more information about Showcase Cinemas please visit our website at www.showcasecinemas.com.

About The Boxoffice Company
The Boxoffice Company is the world's #1 provider of media, technology, and data for the global film industry. The company operates a global network of media brands (AlloCine, AdoroCinema, SensaCine, Espinof, Filmstarts, MoviePilot and Beyazperde) reaching over 74M movie fans across Europe and Latin America. The Boxoffice Company partners as well with leading search and discovery platforms, studios, and exhibitors of all sizes to help them connect directly with moviegoers and fans, using the latest innovations in ticketing, business intelligence, and digital marketing. The Boxoffice Company offers a collection of premium products including websites, mobile applications, CRM, and online ticketing solutions for thousands of exhibitors worldwide, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in box office revenue for movie theaters every year. Over 90% of internet audiences searching for movie showtimes and listings are exposed to data powered by The Boxoffice Company. Uniquely positioned at the heart of the entertainment industry, The Boxoffice Company also publishes Boxoffice Pro magazine, the world's leading source of business information for film professionals. Part of the Paris-based Webedia Group, The Boxoffice Company is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Mexico, Brazil, France, UK, Spain, Germany and Turkey.