You Can Now Pay for ‘Dope’ Tickets with Bitcoins via MovieTickets.com
| Updatedby Polina Chernykh · 3 min read
Open Road Films enabled moviegoers to pay for tickets with the use of digital currency through partnership with MovieTickets.com platform.
Californian film distribution company Open Road Films started accepting ticket payments in digital currency through a partnership with bitcoin payments processor GoCoin.
Open Road Films has also partnered with one of the biggest US movie ticket purchasing websites MovieTickets.com that will enable moviegoers to acquire tickets with cryptocurrency at over 950 theaters.
“Dope” will become the first movie that will accept bitcoin for ticket purchases. Directed by Rick Famuyiwa, an indie comedy tells a story about a geek named Malcom, who is obsessed with 90s hip hop culture and technology. He tries to fit in at his high school in Los Angeles and dreams of graduating Harvard. In order to help a local dealer, Malcom together with his partners creates a network for selling drugs with the use of the digital currency.
The movie, which will open on June 19, includes lots of references to YouTube and iPhones. But bitcoin is definitely has a leading role in the film.
“I just read that money as we know it is dead. Soon the world is only going to buy and sell products using Bitcoins. It’s like a complicated math equation,” the protagonist says in one of the first scenes.
“Bitcoin is an integral part of ‘Dope’ and we could not be more excited to bring this unique new opportunity to moviegoers,” said Jason Cassidy, Open Road Chief Marketing Officer.
Dope successfully debuted this year at Sundance Film Festival and has been enjoying social media buzz since its premiere. Cutting-edge and tech-savvy comedy includes such film producers as Pharrell Williams, Forest Whitaker and Sean Combs.
“The movie (‘Dope’) itself is using Bitcoin for drugs,” said Alex Winter, a director of the “Deep Web” documentary about the creator of Silk Road website Ross Ulbricht. “That’s actually pretty accurate. There would have been no Bitcoin without the Silk Road. These disruptive technologies often come into the mainstream via contraband or criminality.”
“MovieTickets.com thrives on these types of opportunities,” said CEO of MovieTickets.com, Joel Cohen. “It’s cool, it’s original and we’re going above and beyond the common boundaries to drive ticket sales.”
By incorporating bitcoin payments, MovieTickets.com joined such companies as Overstock, Microsoft and Dell, which have already adopted the digital currency. Moreover, this significantly simplifies the payment process, which doesn’t require additional information which is usually requested when you pay with credit card.
Founded in 2011, Open Road has earlier distributed films about technology, including Jon Favreau’s hit “Chef” and Steve Jobs biopic “Jobs.”
