TikTok is well-known for its ability to put butts in movie theater seats, and one of the biggest ticketing platforms in the U.S. is looking to capitalize on that trend. TikTok users are getting the ability to buy tickets from Fandango via an in-app integration that makes use of TikTok’s Spotlight solution.
Disney is the first distributor to take advantage of Fandango’s TikTok partnership. The Mouse House will use the integration to sell tickets to Tron: Ares, the upcoming continuation of the futuristic Tron franchise. TikTok users will be able to tap a “get tickets” icon to book their seats for the upcoming film, which will see a wide release on October 10.
On short-form platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, film excerpts have become a popular genre, with some clip farmers hauling in millions of views per week. Hollywood entities like The Boxoffice Network have responded by using that momentum to push ticket sales, and as a result, TikTok users are 44% more likely to go see a movie at least once per month compared to non-users, according to a blog post published by the ByteDance-owned app.
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TikTok’s status as a movie marketing vehicle kicked into high gear last year when the app announced Spotlight, an expansive toolkit designed for the promotion of films and TV shows. Fandango was encouraged to use Spotlight thanks to its own findings regarding TikTok and its effect on ticket sales. The vending platform reported that 50% of domestic TikTok users have discovered a new theatrical release via TikTok.
“At Fandango, our mission has always been to connect fans with the movies they love, wherever they are,” said Fandango SVP of Marketing and Partnerships Claire Ripsteen in a statement. She added that the TikTok deal is “a powerful step in meeting audiences in their daily digital lives, making it easier to turn the excitement of discovering a movie into the instant gratification of securing your tickets in advance, with no lines and no waiting.”
The TikTokification of movie marketing does come with some warning signs. Creators who share organic content related to Hollywood blockbusters must grapple with copyright issues that only become more complex when generative AI enters the equation. Amid that chaos, Fandango’s big move is a good sign — it indicates that the cinematic side of TikTok is moving above board, a transformation that figures to increase earnings for both a hurting Hollywood and its creator partners.
