German Movie Chain Uses QR Codes For Mobile Payments

German movie theater operator CinemaxX will be rolling out mobile payments for tickets, drinks and snacks “in a few weeks,” the company announced on Thursday (April 23).

The Hamburg-based chain, which runs 29 multiplexes throughout Germany, will be using a smartphone-based payments system from Luxembourg-based Yapital Financial. Customers will be able to scan a QR code at the box office or concession counter with a smartphone’s camera through the Yapital app, then click on “Confirm” to complete the ticket or food purchase, the companies said.

“Big blockbusters regularly attract millions of spectators to cinemas. As one of the largest operators of modern multiplex cinemas, CinemaxX is a crucial partner to help establish mobile payment with Yapital in people’s daily lives,” Yapital managing director Karsten Cornelissen said in a prepared statement. “It’s just so easy to pay for the ticket, snacks and drinks quickly, simply and safely with the one device that I have with me at all times — my smartphone.”

CinemaxX, which calls itself Germany’s best-known cinema operator, will be the first German theater chain to offer mobile payments. The company operates 33 multiplexes with a total of 285 screens and about 73,000 seats in Germany and Denmark.

Doing a complete movie-ticket purchase in a theater with a mobile device may be new but, not surprisingly, mobile ticketing is not. The U.S. AMC Theatres chain offers a mobile ticketing application, and most major American movie theater chains allow patrons to buy tickets online, including through a smartphone’s Web browser. The app for third-party ticket site Fandango also allows ticket purchases in advance, Mobile Commerce Daily noted.

In addition, one of the first uses for Twitter’s new Buy button was multiplex-related — but not actually for directly purchasing movie tickets. AMC used the Buy button to sell $30 gift cards to its theaters, but the button just redirected the buyer to a website, and the gift card was physically sent to the recipient’s home.

However, U.S. cineplex chain Regal Cinemas reportedly plans to offer Apple Pay payments at its theaters in the near future.