Why you should buy movie tickets in advance

On a typical Friday night, hundreds of people line up for tickets to some huge blockbuster that everybody wants to see at once. But others just walk up to a machine, swipe their credit card, grab the tickets that pop out and walk right in. That's because they're the ones who knew enough to buy their movie tickets in advance online or over the phone. Here are some reasons you should buy movie tickets in advance.

Most people don't yet realize that in some cases it makes no more sense to wander ticketless into a movie complex than it does to show up at a visiting performance of the ballet and hope to get in.

• You might, but you'll more likely find yourself all dressed up with nowhere to go.
• Moviegoing has changed, and the planned evening out, complete with advance tickets, is more and more the way to go.
• The online buyer who takes advantage of that today is way ahead of the clueless masses who will follow tomorrow — and wait in line in the meantime.

The main sources for online tickets sell tickets at the same price as the theatre box office, but charge a fee of $1 or $1.50 per ticket. That's worth it if:

• It's the opening weekend or early in the run of a major release.
• Tickets for these blockbusters are often available several weeks in advance.
• It's a Friday or Saturday night in a major and always crowded theatre complex.
• You have an evening planned around a major new movie across town and you don't want to risk any surprises.

Major online movie-ticket sellers make purchases easy, displaying info about what's playing where in your area and then taking you through a quick and simple point-and-click process to buy the tickets. But you'll often find that you can't get tickets for the movie you want to see.

• That's because of a quirk in their operations that they don't tell you about, namely that they have exclusive arrangements with the movie theatre chains.
• Once you know this, the way around it is obvious. Just punch up a different service if you strike out at the first one.
• Of course, no site is going to say, "Please see our competitor for tickets to this movie." So it makes sense to be registered at the main sites, registration being a simple matter of giving them basic information such as your name, age and credit card number.

Keep this guide in mind and avoid the ticket line by buying your movie tickets in advance. Registering is easy and with guaranteed tickets, your night out is sure to run smoothly.