Session ticketing
Your own box office online and at the counter, with ticket types, concessions, booking fees you set and tickets to their phone.
Cinema ticketing software: sessions, seats & candy bar
Cinemas: seats chosen, popcorn ready. Sessions, seats and snacks.
Every online ticket carries a booking fee someone else keeps. The candy bar queue runs right through the trailers and session times get retyped into the website, Google and the foyer screen every week. We build ticketing, seat map, candy bar and membership systems for independent cinemas that all talk to each other, then we host them and look after them.
Looking for independent cinema ticketing software you actually control?
An independent cinema is a box office, a candy bar, a licensed bar, a function venue and a programming desk under one roof. Most indies end up with a ticketing platform that clips every ticket, a separate till at the candy bar, a spreadsheet for distributor reports and a Facebook page for everything else. Move one session and you're fixing it in four places.
Wollopit builds custom cinema software around how your cinema actually runs. Load the week's sessions once and they flow to the website, Google, the foyer screens and your newsletter. Customers pick their seats, pre-order a choc top and walk straight in. Members get their pricing without anyone checking a list. We connect the tools you already like, replace the ones holding you back and look after the lot on our own servers, so you can get back to showing films.
01The problems
What we hear from independent cinemas
Does your cinema have these problems? Here's how we'd fix them.
Most indies we talk to love film and run the business on a ticketing platform they don't control, a till and a lot of goodwill. It holds together right up until the school holidays.
- The problemBooking fees go to someone elseEvery online ticket carries a platform fee. Customers blame you for it and the margin walks out the door.How we fix itYour own ticketing on your own website. You decide the booking fee, keep it or drop it altogether.
- The problemSession times typed in five placesNew week, new sessions: the website, Google, the foyer screen, Facebook and the newsletter all updated by hand on Tuesday night.How we fix itLoad the week's sessions once. The website, Google, foyer screens and newsletter update themselves.
- The problemSeats picked at the counterPeople turn up early to grab a good seat, the queue backs up and the middle rows are packed while the sides sit empty.How we fix itLive seat maps online and at the counter, with wheelchair spaces, companion seats and rows you can block off.
- The problemThe candy bar queue eats the trailersHalf the session is still waiting on popcorn when the lights go down.How we fix itCandy bar pre-orders added to the ticket, ready on a pickup shelf or brought to the seat in your lounge cinema.
- The problemMemberships on a printed listMember discounts checked against a list behind the counter. Free member tickets honoured on trust.How we fix itMemberships that renew themselves. Member pricing applies online and at the counter, with a digital card in their phone wallet.
- The problemPrivate hire by a dozen emailsBirthday screenings, work nights and school groups go back and forth for weeks, then clash with a public session.How we fix itPrivate screening bookings online: pick a cinema, date and film, add catering, pay a deposit and the calendar blocks itself.
- The problemDistributor reports on a MondaySomeone tallies admissions and box office per film per session so each distributor gets their film hire report.How we fix itAdmissions and gross per film counted as you sell, with distributor reports ready to send in one click.
- The problemFestivals don't fit the systemFestival passes, Q&A nights and opera screenings end up on a separate platform with a separate list at the door.How we fix itPasses, bundles and special events sold alongside normal sessions, with one scan list at the door.
- The problemTickets checked by eyePaper tickets, screenshots and printed lists at the door. Someone always wanders into the wrong cinema.How we fix itQR tickets scanned on any phone, flagged straight away if it's the wrong session or screen.
- The problemClassification checks left to chanceAn R18+ session, a group of young-looking punters and a casual unsure whether to ask for ID.How we fix itR18+ and MA15+ sessions flagged at booking and on the door scanner, with ID prompts for staff.
- The problemProgramming lives in one headWhich film is on which screen, how long it's held and when the DCP and KDM keys arrive, all on a whiteboard.How we fix itA programming planner with screens, sessions, film runs, DCP arrivals and KDM key windows on one calendar.
- The problemQuiet sessions stay quietTuesday 11am is empty and nobody knows who to tell about it.How we fix itTargeted emails and SMS to the right crowd: seniors for morning sessions, new parents for baby-friendly sessions, families in the holidays.
02What we build
Solutions
What we build for independent cinemas. Usually all talking to each other.
Pick the one that's hurting most or join the whole lot up. Everything is built around how your team works, not the other way round.
Seat maps
Every cinema drawn to scale, with recliners, couches, wheelchair spaces and companion seats people pick themselves.
Session & programming manager
Build the week's sessions once, with screens, film runs, classifications and accessible sessions like CC and AD.
Candy bar pre-orders
Popcorn, choc tops, combos and bar drinks added at checkout, with a pickup shelf or delivery to the seat.
Memberships & digital cards
Paid memberships, free ticket allowances, member pricing and a card in their Apple or Google Wallet.
Gift vouchers
Digital and printed vouchers, movie and snack bundles, balances tracked and redeemed online or at the counter.
Private screenings & hire
Birthday parties, work nights and school groups booked online with catering, deposits and run sheets.
Festivals & special events
Festival passes, double features, Q&As and live screenings sold alongside your normal sessions.
Door scanning
QR tickets scanned on any phone, wrong-session alerts and live admissions per cinema.
Distributor reports
Admissions and box office per film, per session and per distributor, ready for film hire settlements.
Foyer & candy bar screens
Now showing, coming soon, trailers and the candy bar menu on any TV, updating as sessions change.
Emails & SMS
The weekly session newsletter built itself, plus reminders, pre-order prompts and quiet session promos.
Staff rosters & checklists
Rosters around the session times, open and close checklists and cleaning between sessions on staff phones.
A website that sells sessions
Hand-built, quick on mobile, with session times front and centre and built to rank for 'cinema near me'.
03The systems
The big ones
Your whole cinema, on one system.
These are the systems indie cinemas ask us about most. Each one works on its own and they get properly clever when they're joined up.
Session ticketing
Your box office, your fees, your customers.
Tickets sold on your own website, at the counter and at the door from one system. Customers pick their exact seat on a live map and get a QR ticket on their phone. The booking fee is yours to set and the customer list is yours to keep.
- Online, counter and door sales in one
- Live seat maps for every cinema
- Recliners, couches and wheelchair spaces
- Adult, concession, child and family tickets
- Booking fees you set or drop
- QR tickets to their phone
- Wrong-session alerts at the door
- R18+ and MA15+ ID prompts
- Refunds and session swaps in a tap
- Admissions per session in real time
Candy bar pre-orders
Popcorn ready. Trailers seen.
Snacks and drinks get added at checkout, so the candy bar knows what's coming before the doors open. Orders sit ready on a pickup shelf or go straight to the seat in the lounge. The queue shrinks and the average spend goes up.
- Snacks added when they buy tickets
- Combos and upsells at checkout
- Pickup shelf with order names
- Seat delivery for lounge cinemas
- Licensed bar drinks with age checks
- Prep list per session for the candy bar
- Sold-out items hidden instantly
- Works with your POS
- Member snack discounts
- Top sellers per film and session
Sessions & programming
Load the week once. It shows up everywhere.
Plan which film plays on which screen, set the sessions and publish the week in one go. The website, Google, foyer screens and newsletter all follow. Behind the scenes you can see film runs, DCP arrivals and distributor numbers.
- Weekly session planner by screen
- Film runs and hold-over decisions
- DCP arrivals and KDM key windows
- Classifications and content warnings
- CC, AD and sensory sessions
- Sessions pushed to Google and the website
- Foyer screens update themselves
- Weekly newsletter built automatically
- Admissions and gross per film
- Distributor reports ready to send
Memberships & loyalty
Regulars who feel like members.
Memberships that sell and renew online, with member pricing that applies itself whether they book on their phone or at the counter. A digital card replaces the printed list. Free tickets and birthday treats keep locals coming back.
- Paid memberships with auto renewal
- Member pricing online and at the counter
- Free ticket allowances tracked
- Digital card in their phone wallet
- Member-only preview screenings
- Birthday ticket or choc top
- Member snack discounts
- Gift memberships
- Failed card retries
- Member emails and SMS
Private hire & events
Birthday screenings and festivals, booked themselves.
Private hire becomes a simple online booking with the cinema, film, catering and deposit sorted in one go. Festivals, Q&As and special screenings sell next to your normal sessions instead of on a separate platform.
- Online private screening bookings
- Choose cinema, date and film
- Catering and bar packages
- Deposits and balance reminders
- Clashes with public sessions blocked
- School and group bookings
- Festival passes and bundles
- Q&As and live event screenings
- One scan list at the door
- Run sheets for staff
04How it changes
Before and after
A Friday night session, wolloped.
Here's how a busy Friday could change. Every cinema is different, so we map yours first.
Before
- Ticket queue out the door at 6:30pm
- Seats picked at the counter one couple at a time
- Member discounts checked against a printed list
- Candy bar queue runs through the trailers
- Paper tickets eyeballed at the door
- A platform fee on every online ticket
After
- Most tickets bought online during the week
- Seats picked on a live map at home
- Member pricing applied on its own
- Popcorn waiting on the pickup shelf
- QR tickets scanned in a second
- Booking fees set and kept by you
05Services
Everything under one roof
Software, websites and systems for independent cinemas.
Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading what you've got, it's one team from the first sketch to the support call.
Custom software for independent cinemas
Built around how your cinema actually runs: session ticketing, seat maps and the admin in between, in one system you own.
Websites for independent cinemas
Fast, hand-built websites that rank for the searches your customers make and turn visits into enquiries, bookings or orders.
Cinema system upgrades
Running on spreadsheets, old software or a platform you've outgrown? We move your data across and upgrade in stages so the business never stops.
Apps and portals for independent cinemas
Session & programming manager and candy bar pre-orders: customer and staff portals that work on any phone without an app store.
Integrations and automation
We connect Veezi, Vista and Movio so information moves on its own and nobody retypes it.
Hosting, support and care
Managed hosting, updates, backups and security for your cinema, looked after by the people who built it.
06Integrations
Connections
Plays nicely with what you already use.
We connect to the tools you rely on, work alongside cinema platforms you're happy with or replace the ones holding you back.
- Veezi
- Vista
- Movio
- Square
- Lightspeed
- Stripe
- Xero
- MYOB
- Mailchimp
- Humanitix
- Eventbrite
- Google Business Profile
- YouTube
- Twilio SMS
- Deputy
- Apple Wallet
- Google Wallet
07How we work
The process
Some people dip their toe in. We turn up in a rebreather.
We get properly below the surface of your cinema: the systems, the busy days and the jobs everyone hates. Then we fix the bits that matter most first.
- 01
Think
We stand in the foyer on a Friday night, work the counter and sit with whoever does the programming, then find what's actually slowing you down.
- 02
Archi-tech
We plan it before writing code: your cinemas and seats, sessions, ticket types, candy bar, members, distributor reports, hosting and cost.
- 03
Build
Real engineering, shown to you early and often. Usually the most painful bit first, so you get a win before the next school holidays.
- 04
Look after
We host it, maintain it and keep improving it. When something breaks on a Saturday night you call the people who built it.
08Questions
FAQ
Things independent cinemas ask us.
Something else on your mind? Ring 0423 011 252 and ask the people who'd build it.
Can we run our own ticketing instead of paying per-ticket fees?
Yes. Tickets sell on your own website through your own payment account. You decide whether there's a booking fee and if there is, you keep it.
Can customers pre-order snacks with their tickets?
Yes. Candy bar items and bar drinks can be added at checkout, then sit ready on a pickup shelf or get delivered to the seat if you run a lounge cinema.
Can it handle film festivals?
Yes. Festival passes, bundles and multiple sessions can be sold together, with one scan list at the door alongside your normal sessions.
Will our session times show up on Google and our website?
Yes. You load the week's sessions once and they flow to your website, Google, the foyer screens and the weekly newsletter.
Can it do our distributor reports?
Yes. Admissions and box office are counted per film and per session as you sell, so film hire reports are ready to send instead of built by hand.
We already use a cinema ticketing platform. Do we have to switch?
No. If Veezi or another platform is doing its job, we build around it: candy bar pre-orders, memberships, private hire, screens and the website on top. If it's holding you back, we'll show you what replacing it would involve before anything changes.
How much does a cinema system cost?
It depends on what you need, so we quote up front once we understand it. No surprise invoices, no lock-in and you own what we build.
How long does it take?
Smaller jobs like candy bar pre-orders or a private hire booking form can be quick. Bigger systems like full ticketing are planned in stages so you get the first win early instead of waiting for everything at once.
Who looks after it once it's built?
We do. We host it on our own managed servers and keep it updated and secure. When you need something you ring the people who built it.
We already have systems. Can you upgrade them instead of starting again?
Usually, yes. Most independent cinemas we work with keep what's working and upgrade the rest in stages. We move your data across, connect the old and new while we switch and retire the old system only when the new one is proven.
Contact
Got a cinema problem? Consider it wolloped.
Tell us what's slow, broken, manual or missing. You don't need a spec, just describe what's going on.