PRESS: Russia’s Rambler to kick off app to buy cinema tickets

MOSCOW, Nov 8 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Rambler Internet Holding, an Internet portal operator, will launch a cinema schedule application, called Popcorn, which will compete with Kinopoisk of Internet giant Yandex, the Izvestiya daily reported Tuesday.

Sources familiar with the holding’s plans said the application and a Web site will contain information on movies, including synopses, trailers, cast and news. Cinema tickets will be available for purchase via Rambler.Kassa, the holding’s payment vehicle.

Rambler Internet Holding filed applications for the Popcorn trademark in Russian and English to the Federal Intellectual Property Service in late October, and the documents mention software, advertisements, information on entertainment and ticket booking, among others.

“It’ll be a new project linked to the industry of cinema and entertainment, whose audience will be Russian users,” a spokesperson for Rambler Internet Holding said.

A spokesperson for cinema chain Formula Kino said the share of online sales of tickets grows every year.

“In 2008, the share of online sales of tickets was at 0.22%; in 2014 it reached almost 12%; in 2015 it was at 16.28%. According to our forecast, the share of online sales will be at 20% by the end of 2016,” the spokesperson said.

“Viewers got used to an option of buying tickets at any moment via their gadgets. We expect the growth rates of online ticket sales to be at least 5% per year in the nearest future.”

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