How to Buy Cheap Movie Tickets Using The Mtime App

Going to the movies in China doesn’t have to be expensive, in fact, in can be downright cheap, especially if you use an app. There are a bunch of different apps you can use to purchase tickets, but let me just show you how to use just one of them: the Mtime app.

First, download the Apple and/or Android version of the app here.

Once you’ve opened it, you’ll see something like this. Tickets for the movies currently on sale in Beijing are prominently displayed just under the search bar. Movies with an orange button mean the movie is already out. The green ones are for movies that will be out soon if you want to pre-order.

In this case, I clicked on the orange button for Arrival (降临), which brings up this next screen:

This is the trickiest screen for anyone who can’t read Chinese, but you only need to figure it out once with a Chinese friend and then you’ll be fine every subsequent time you use it.

The menu automatically comes up with tickets for today, though you can click on future dates at the top of the screen if necessary.

The cinema listed at the top under the red sticker is for the cinema closest to you. It’s not always the best option though as they can often be dinky little cinemas with poor sound and uncomfortable seats.

What you’ve got to do the very first time is go through the list with a friend, clicking the yellow star for all your favorite cinemas. For me, they include Megabox in Sanlitun, Lumiere at Parkview Green and the Jackie Chan cinema in Wangfujing (mainly for their cheap tickets), as well as a few others.

Once you’ve starred those cinemas, they'll automatically be listed on this screen if the movie you want to see is showing there.

So, the next step is to click on the orange button for whichever cinema you prefer this time.

Pick your session time.

Choose your seat/s.

This screen is just confirming all your details.

Click on you preferred payment method - in this case, WeChat Wallet.

Click the green button to pay, and voilà, you’re done. You’ll get a text message with your ticket number in it. Just show it to the cinema staff when you get there.

Images: Mtime