ConsumerWatch: Websites Offer Discounted Theater Tickets

BERKELEY (CBS 5) - A new Bay Area start-up is making it easier to save money on movie tickets. Dealflicks offers users discounts of between 15% to 37% on tickets at independent theaters all over the country.

Dealflicks founder Sean Wycliffe said the idea for a money-saving movie ticket app came to him as he was watching the "The Kings Speech."

"It was a great movie, but the theater was dead, empty," Wycliffe recalled.

The idea for the site is to sell seats that would otherwise remain empty. And there are plenty of them. The recent Berkeley grad said his research indicates that 88% of all movie theater seats go unsold.

Costco also offers deals on tickets, though not as deep. The big box retailer sells multiple movie passes that can shrink the price of a ticket at a large theater chain to $8.29 or $8.74.

And then there's Goldstar.  The site, whose motto is "Go Out More," offers half-price tickets to everything from concerts, plays, sporting events, tours and classes. The site even offers free tickets to some events. It charges a small service fee, usually a couple of bucks.

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