fandango.com

The landscape of the film industry has undergone great change in the past few years due to the rise of streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. These services have led to different ways of releasing films and have also changed the way that people choose to watch movies. Once upon a time, going to the movie theatre was an extravagant and rare event. People would get dressed up and go to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars on the big screen.

Since the 1990s, the cinema has evolved into an extremely important form of cultural media. In earlier years, it was a popular night out on the town.

Movie theaters were a popular spot for teens and young adults during this time period due to their romantic atmosphere and the ease of physical touch. The darkness provided a sense of privacy, and since movies are typically entertaining, conversation was less likely to be awkward than on a first date. Plus, movie watching provides a common activity to talk about after the movie is over.

In recent years, the movie theater has slowly been losing its popularity amongst people. It used to be a regular spot for date night, family outings, and friendly gatherings but now it is something that people do only occasionally. Some people go to the cinema just for the nostalgia factor.

The reason for the recent downturn in movie attendance is due to the fact that, for the most part, any movie one could want to watch is available on our computers, smartphones, and smart TVs. It is no longer necessary, in other words, to leave the house and spend $30 or $40 in order to see a single movie. Some people reason, therefore, that they can watch hundreds of movies for a fraction of the price by simply streaming them off of Netflix. Just throw on Netflix and watch a brand-new original movie from the comfort of your couch - without paying over $10 per month that you already pay for the service. Is this not right?

Some people argue that going to the movies is a rare and unique experience, and that you can never really get the same level of quality at home. In fact, most home entertainment centers are usually far inferior to the projectors and speakers found at movie theaters.

Although the cinema's popularity has waned in recent years, there are plenty of ways to enjoy movies today with sites and apps like Fandango. This makes purchasing tickets a much quicker and easier process than ever before.

History

Fandango was founded on April 27th, 2000. Initially, the company was very successful and revenue streams grew steadily for several years. However, as movie theater chains caught on to the internet age and began offering their own ticket selling services, Fandango suffered a pretty big blow. However, despite this setback, Fandango was not sunk by it. In fact, over time the company continued to grow and prosper. In April of 2007, Fandango was acquired by Comcast. In 2012, the company announced a partnership with Yahoo! Movies, which would place Fandango in the position of the official online movie ticketer for registered Yahoo! users. Over time, Fandango has made smart acquisitions and partnered with other companies to help it maintain a strong foothold against competition. Recent acquisitions include Fox's RedBox rental service and Popcorn Time software, as well as partnerships with Microsoft and Netflix. These strategic moves help ensure that Fandango remains an essential resource for movie enthusiasts everywhere.

Since 2012, Fandango has acquired Brazilian ticketing company, Ingresso; M-Go (which would later become Fandango Now); Flixster; and Rotten Tomatoes. It seems that Fandango's refusal to give up has paid off in the long run, as they now have a variety of companies under their umbrella.

Design

The Fandango website is flashy but not too distracting or cluttered. This is a difficult balance to strike in web design. The bright oranges and blues catch the eye with a white background. But it doesn't overwhelm. Carousel banners rapidly present slides of the featured content, including movie recommendations, exclusive interviews, and inside scoops on the ins and outs of Hollywood. On the homepage of Fandango.com, you will find a scrollable window that displays all of the movies currently in theaters. It is nice to be able to do this right from the homepage, and it is the first thing that you see when you arrive on Fandango.com. Additionally, down the page a little further, you will find offers from Fandango partner companies. I don't know about you, but I'll take a coupon over an ad any day! Not that Fandango is completely replete of advertisements. However, they are for new and upcoming movies; so, at least the ads are useful in the context of the site!

Content

Additionally, Fandango offers a variety of ticket purchase options, including the ability to buy tickets in bulk. So, if you are planning on going to a few different theaters over the course of the month, or if you want to take advantage of Fandango's ticket discount deals, purchasing your tickets in bulk is a great way to save money! However, that is not all that Fandango does. There are also sections on the site dedicated to what's new on streaming services, the top box office lists, trailers of upcoming films to get excited about, as well as tons of movie news and reviews. Plus, for consumers of film and media entertainment news, there are plenty of individual, specialized sections for your reading pleasure.

Stay up-to-date on who is winning what awards and who is being nominated for prestigious honors with Fandango’s Awards Watch. Or stay informed about what’s happening in the Indie film scene with Indie Movie Guide. Plus, fans of horror have their own news sections, as do families looking to see what is on the horizon for them and their kids. Fandango’s movie news section is actually like several niche film blogs rolled into one convenient location.

Desktop and Mobile Experience

I said before that I quite enjoy how the site is designed overall. It is just as optimized whether you are viewing it through your desktop web browser or the one on your phone. And Fandango, too, has a sleek and useful app that is definitely worth checking out. The Fandango app is a highly rated and popular movie ticketing app. It has over 1 million 5-star reviews, making it the only app you'll need for buying tickets and picking seats. It's sleek and easy to use, with features that allow you to buy tickets and pick seats in a matter of just a few taps of the thumb.

Pricing and Plans

Fandango does not offer any paid subscriptions or plans. Everything on the site (other than the tickets themselves, of course) is completely free to use. They even offer a service called Fandango VIP. This also comes with no extra fee and allows users to save money through rewards points, gain access to additional cross-promotional perks, receive no-stress refunds and ticket exchanges, and write movie reviews on the site. If you want to get the most out of Fandango, I don't see why you wouldn't take advantage of this free rewards program.

Suggestions that I have for Fandango

As far as ticketing sites are concerned, this is about as good as it gets. If I had to suggest anything to Fandango, it would probably be a good idea for them to try their hand at producing some original content, so that users can stream it from their site. Even if they just did a short film or two, Fandango could generate exponentially more visitors (and thus potentially more ticket purchases) with some larger draw for people to visit the site.

Conclusion

All in all, Fandango is the best site when it comes to buying movie tickets. One visit to Fandango.com and you will be excited for your next trip to the movie theater. Thanks for enjoying!