ABSTRACT

The project objective is to book cinema tickets in online. The Ticket Reservation System
is an Internet based application that can be accessed throughout the Net and can be
accessed by anyone who has a net connection. This application will reserve the tickets.
This online ticket reservation system provides a website for a cinema hall where any user
of internet can access it. User is required to login to the system and needs a credit card
for booking the tickets. Tickets can be collected at the counter and Watching movies with
family and friends in theatres is one of the best medium of entertainment after having a
hectic schedule. But all this excitement vanishes after standing in hours in long queues to
get tickets booked. The website provides complete information regarding currently
running movies on all the screens with details of show timings, available seats. Ticket
reservations are done using credit card and can be cancelled if needed. Our online
tickets reservation system is one of the best opportunities for those who cannot afford
enough time to get their tickets reserved standing in long queues. People can book tickets
online at any time of day or night. Our reservation system also provides option to cancel
the tickets which are reserved previously.

Keywords: Movies; Tcket; Tracking; Cinema; Queues.

 TABLE OF CONTENT
Title Page- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -i
Approval Page- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -ii
Certification Page- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -iii
Dedication- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -iv
Acknowledgement- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -v
Abstract- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -vi
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
1.1. General Introduction- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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1.2. Statement of the Problem- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -
1.3. Aim and Objectives of the Study- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1.4. Significance of the Study- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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1.5. Scope of the Study- - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1.6. Limitation of the Study- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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1.7. Definition of Terms- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review
2.1. Theoretical Concept- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -
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2.2. Review of related work ------ - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -
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CHAPTER THREE
Methodology
3.1. Data Collection- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -
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3.2. Description of the proposed system - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -
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3.3 Analysis of the proposed system- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -
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3.4 System Design - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -
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CHAPTER FOUR
Implementation and Results Presentation
4.1. System Requirements- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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4.2. System Implementation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -
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4.3 Result Presentation- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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4.4 System Evaluation/Testing(Optional) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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4.5 System Documentation and Maintenance - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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4.6 Benefits of the System- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -
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CHAPTER FIVE
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
5.1. Summary - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -
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5.2. Conclusion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -
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5.3 Recommendation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -
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REFFERENCES (APA STYLE)
APPENDIX
 FLOWCHART
 PROGRAM CODING
 PROGRAM OUTPUT

CHAPTER 1

1.0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Cinema-going is one of the most popular out-of-home cultural activities, affecting a

serious of social, economic and cultural phenomena in modern societies. Cinemas are
considered to be an integral part of cities and they contribute to the definition of a local
geography and identity. They also contribute to the preservation of the collective
memory, since they constitute a significant social and cultural practice linked to a specific
place, which acts as a common reference or landmark for many individuals.
The Cinema Industry was quiet buoyant in Nigeria from 1960-1990 with many people
trooping to cinema halls to watch the latest movies especially on weekdays and
weekends. This also encouraged the production of many local movies which were mainly
sponsored by government.

However, the cinema business gradually came to a halt from the late 1990s. This was due
to many reasons such as;

1. Poor advertising and marketing methods to attract movie fans

2. The taking over of cinema halls by churches
3. The advent of globalization had let to more people having access to their own
televisions, Video Cassettes and DVD players therefore people preferred watching
movies in the comfort of their homes than watching at the cinemas.
4. Poor tracking and management of tickets sales which resulted in poor revenue.
5. Lack of investment by private film makers and poor maintenance of cinema
facilities.
However, over the past five years, the movie industry has been gradually bouncing back
to its glorious days as a result of significant investment by film makers and cinema
owners in an effort to advertise and promote the industry to attract patrons. There has
however not been enough effort at managing tickets sales efficiently. If this deficiency is
not properly addressed, it could cripple the cinema industry again.

Most cinemas in Nigeria depend on a manual ticketing system whilst a few like Global
Cinema at Lagos make use of a Ticket automated system.
A Manual Ticketing System
This is where tickets are pre-printed with serial numbers and
sold at cinema gates or sold in advance at designated outlets.

Though this system might seem the cheapest and easiest to implement, it is inefficient
and could be more expensive to the cinemas in the long run. This is so because of the
manual stock taking that goes along managing the tickets. Tracking of tickets sales can
also be difficult resulting in poor revenue generation.

Long queues are common scene at cinema gates and this discourages many movie fans
especially those in the middle class since such scenes are associated with fights and
misunderstandings.

Manual ticketing also gives the opportunity for unscrupulous people to engage in tickets
racketeering resulting in hikes in prices of tickets.

An Automated Ticket System

This system prints tickets from the computer at the instance of purchase by the customer.
The sale is automatically recorded by the computer and the tickets stocks are
automatically updated.

Though the automated ticket system is an improvement over the manual system It till
have limitations, Global Cinema for Instance does not sell automated tickets outside the
cinema because their automated system does not operate on a wide area network.
Cinemas still have to reply on pre-printed tickets if they intend to distribute them outside
the cinema.

The cost of constructing a wide area network to facilitate the automated tickets system
could be overwhelming as compared to using the internet.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Currently there are no systems in Nigeria whereby people can book and purchase their
cinema tickets online. Many cinemas use a manual ticketing system and a few ones like
Global Cinema use an automated system. The purpose of this study is to design and
develop an online cinema booking/ ticket purchasing system, that aims to provide a
convenient service to customers.
1.3 OBJECTIVE
The main purpose of the online ticket booking and purchasing system is to provide a
convenient way for customers to buy cinema tickets. It is a real time system and though
there are similar systems for more advanced countries, they do not provide an alternate
online payment means such as the use of mobiles money from other telecommunication
networks other that credit cards. Also been able to watch a preview of the movie you
want to purchase tickets for such as trailers and other shot scenes, and also receiving an
SMS notification for the approval of your purchase.

The projects aim;

 To provide a convenient service for customers and also provide more efficient
pricing policy to effectively distinguishing between, children, student and adult
ticket holders

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

 This project is to compliment the new wave of excitement cinemas like Global
Cinema have generated in the society, so that people can sit in the comfort of their
homes or internet cafes or even use their Smartphones and book their tickets and
be assured that their seats have been reserved. An online tickets system will
encourage more movie fans and ultimately increase revenue for both film
producers and cinema operators.

 The system will also provide advertising opportunity for organizations and
individuals to advertise their products on the website, the vouchers or the cinema
tickets.
  The internet is likely to be the primary source where customers can learn about
products and make purchases. An online cinema ticket system would provide
movie fans with information on available tickets and prices.

 The internet penetration is still low in Nigeria with fewer than 1,000,000 of the
population having access according to The Internet World Stats Report published
by ITU in June,2009[10]. It is hoped that with the ongoing investment by telecom
companies, more people would get easier and cheaper access to the internet as
well as be educated on the uses and application of the internet. This would help
make the online cinema ticket purchasing system achieved its full potential.

1.5 DEFINITION OF TERMS:

CINEMA: This is a building where movies are shown to an audience

ONLINE CINEMA BOOKING: This online ticket reservation system provides a website
for a cinema hall where any user of internet can access it. User is required to login to the
system and needs a credit card for booking the tickets.

DATABASE: an organized collection of data this is stored in computer and can be

accessed and used in various ways.

 RELATIONAL DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: it uses relation or two

dimensional tables to store information.

MYSQL: it is an English like database query language used for retrieving and managing
data in a relational database management system, it is a query language for querying and
modifying data and managing databases.
ASP: originally stood for personal homepage currently, it is widely used as a general
purpose server-side scripting language that was originally designed for developing
dynamic web pages.

CHAPTER TWO
2.1. THEORETICAL CONCEPT
The theatre provides infrastructure and facilities for a performance to take place, the same
way in which a cinema provides screens and projectors to show movies. An audience
patronize this for a fee. A booking system is used to ensure customers can purchase
tickets for a given performance well in advance and avoid being disappointed at the last
minute. Theatre owners also prefer tickets to be sold as early as possible, both for
financial reasons [1], and to avoid a long queue at the entrance just before the
performance is due to start. The theatre box office is the section where the bookings are
made, being the first point of contact between the theatre and the public. Before
electronic printers were introduced in box office, ticket books were used. The theatre
staff would also have a plan for each performance, with a corresponding ticket book. The
customers would have access to a diagram of the theatre to indicate their preferred seats.
The staff was also expected to know about the performance in question, so that customer
questions could be dealt with in satisfactory manner. The customer would finally pay for
the agreed seats, and receive tickets printed with the respective seat numbers. The staff
would have to carefully mark off the seats on the seating plan for every ticket sold, to
avoid double booking.

Seats were also sold by telephone or mail order to those customers who could not readily
pay a visit to the box office. In the mail order system, the customer would post a cheque
with an order for the desired seats, date and time, with a stamped, self-addressed
envelope. If the order arrives early enough, the box office would book the seat requested,
and post the appropriate tickets back to the customers, who would receive them at least
two days after the order was first sent. However, if the order had been sent after desired
seats had been sold, the box office would have to send the customers a refund, with the
list of the remaining seats. This process would then be repeated until the customers either
accept an alternative booking, or demand a refund if all desirable seats had been sold out.
Therefore, mail order could also result in disappointment to the customer and a revenue
loss to the cinema. To make the mail ordering process more effective, theatres also sold
seats for a whole season of performance. On some occasions, not every tickets would
have been sold out, and some ticket holders would not attend. In order to maximize
profits, the box office would sell any unreserved seats at subsidized rates a few hours
before the show starts and the subsidized tickets would be clearly indicated on the tickets
stub (which is retained in the box office for easy accountabilities at the end of the day.
Sales were sometimes deduced by counting the number of unsold tickets after the
performance had begun, but due consideration would have to be given regarding any
discounting ticket sold.

The theatre manager was concerned with various tickets sales report, such as master
statement showing the number of seats at each price and the total potential income on
ticket sales, daily reports, weekly reports and seasonal reports. An example of a ‘Weekly
Returns’ (gives the seats occupation as a percentage and total money collected for each
day of the week) and ‘Final Returns’ (which gives the total money collected in advance
booking, at the doors and percentage of seats occupied).

2.2. REVIEW OF RELATED WORK

Modern Theatre Booking Systems

Although the fundamental principles of a theatre booking system have remained

unchanged overtime, developments in communication and other technologies have had
major impact on their implementation. In 1969, Sweeting [2] speculated that perhaps
theatres could benefit from computerized ticketing system, similar to what airlines at the
time had started to adopt. In the late 1960s, the personal computer was not common and
were bulky, expensive industrial machines which would set up to execute tasks specific
to the organization in question, making them too expensive for small and medium
enterprises to acquire.

Langley in 1980 suggested that computer-based ticket system was only feasible for large
theatre operations. However, with today’s comparatively low hardware cost, the
computer has become affordable and is common in most offices. Even the smallest of
theatres coulf afford computerized system. This made it possible for theatre bookings to
be done faster than mail order described in the previous section.

Reid in 1983 observed that computers were replacing the traditional paper and pencil
systems, allow several customer care staff to simultaneous access the same seating plan,
thus avoiding queues and improving on customer services, compared to the manual
system. Hillenbrand in 2001 proposed that theatres should also make use of the
opportunity provided by other service providers such as toll free numbers, credit card
processing, internet and mail order, all of which today’s consumers make use of.
In addition to knowing about the performance, the modern day box office staff is
expected to be able to give customers advice on facilities like restaurants and parking, as
well as work outside normal working hours, in order to provide convenient opening hours
to the public.
Since the theatre of today has to compete with other entertainment facilities available to
customers, it has to market its services widely such a making discount tickets available to
the press, producers, actors etc, as a means of promoting the theatre.

Modern day theatre managers still make use of the same types of report that were used
decades ago, but have come to expect them instantly due to computerization. A
computerized reservation system has the potential to provide the precise type of
information required with just a mouse click. Comparing manual and computerized
booking systems, Collins quotes a manual theatre manager describing it as ‘labor
intensive, bulky and hard to make changes’ as opposed to ‘fast, easy and sleek’
respectively ([7] p. 125)

Electronic Commerce
Electronic commerce has become one of the essential characteristics in the Internet era.
According to UCLA Center for Communication Policy (2001), online shopping has
become the third most popular internet activity, immediately following e- mail
using/instant messaging and web browsing. It is even more popular than seeking out
entertainment information and news, two commonly thought of activities when
considering what Internet users do when online. Online shopping behavior (also called
online buying behavior and Internet hopping/buying behavior) refers to the process of
purchasing products or services via the Internet. Recent advances in technology,
particularly in the field of electronics and telecommunications, have led business and
commerce in new directions over the last few decades. New forms of trade have
emerged from these advances and one area is of particular interest: Electronic
Commerce. Electronic Commerce (EC) has emerged as the most important way of doing
business for years to come. This term was first used by Kalakota and Whinston (1996).
Electronic commerce deals with the facilitation of transactions and selling of products
and services online, i.e. via the internet or any other telecommunication network. This
involves the electronic trading of physical and digital goods, quite often encompassing
all the trading steps such as online marketing, online ordering, and electronic payment
and for digital goods, online distribution (Jelassi, 2005).

This field incorporates a large number of techniques for conducting business using
electronic assistance. By far the most exciting and versatile part of electronic commerce
involve transactions over the Internet According to the United States Department of
Commerce, for the year 2001, total retail sales were US$ 3.50 trillion and e-commerce
retail sales was US$ 32.57 billion (Vijayasarathy, 2004). Electronic Commerce has
been proven to be beneficial to sellers and buyers alike. Through the usage of
electronic commerce, sellers can now access narrow market segments that may be
widely distributed geographically, thereby extending accessibility globally
(Napier,2001). Buyers reap the benefits from having access to global markets and
access to a much larger product catalogs from a wider and varied range of sellers.
Kalakota and Whinstone state that EC has two distinct forms: Business-to-business and
business-to consumer. Much of the growth in revenues from transactions over the
Internet has been achieved from business-to-business exchanges leading to the
accumulation of an impressive body of knowledge and expertise in the area of business-
to-business electronic commerce (Butler and Peppard, 1998). Unfortunately; this is not
the case for business-to-consumer EC. With the exception of software, hardware, travel
services, and few other niche areas, shopping on the Internet is far from universal even
among people who spend long hours online. Moreover, many companies already
practicing electronic commerce are having a difficult time generating satisfactory
profits. For example, many e-companies such as Amazon.com have successfully
attracted much attention but have not been able to convert their competitive advantage
into tangible profit (Yan and Parad, 1999).

Selling in cyberspace is very different from selling in physical markets, and it requires a
critical understanding of consumer behavior and how new technologies challenge the
traditional assumptions underlying conventional theories and models. Butler and
Peppard (1998), for example, explain the failure of IBM’s sponsored Web shopping
malls by the naive comprehension of the true nature of consumer behavior on the net.
A critical understanding of this behavior in cyberspace, as in the physical world, cannot
be achieved without a good appreciation of the factors affecting the purchase decision.
Although text books and articles on internet marketing and online consumer behavior
have begun to appear, however comparatively little is known about how web purchase
behavior differs from traditional purchase behavior and whether there are any specific
web-based factors that should take into account (Heijden et al., 2001).

Online Ticketing

Electronic ticketing over the Internet is a good example of Internet commerce. The
aim is to facilitate the buying or reservation of tickets online, thereby making the process
more easily accessible and convenient. Through these services tickets may be purchased
from any location and at any time, provided an Internet connection exists. Typically, the
tickets are ordered from a web site that provides both tickets information and the
purchasing or reservation service. Internet or 'online' ticketing is all about providing a
useful and efficient service to clients and customers. The aim is to make the purchase or
reservation of tickets easier. Naturally, this will encourage sales. Online ticketing system
has been used especially by firms who sell travel tickets, performing arts, game
tickets, concerts, movies and many other activities.

The use of the Internet makes buying a ticket more convenient since the service is
available at any geographical location, including your home (or even remotely via
a laptop and cellular phone) and at any time of the day, any day of the year. Online ticket
services have a further advantage by providing relevant information alongside the
service. This can aid purchasing decisions and may encourage future usage
(Buford,1998). So ticket buyers have quite an easy commute to the ticket booth these
days-they only have to get to their home personal computer and onto the internet. It
beats standing in lines (perhaps out in the rain) and day, and the only traffic one
encounters is that of the so-called information superhighway.

There are also benefits for those providing the service. New markets are being created
and ticket sales are increased. Apart from maintenance and data updates, no manpower
is required to provide the service once it has been established. The process of recording
the transactions is more automated and overhead is reduced. An important point is
that ticket providers are also providing a convenient service to customers and are thereby
improving public image and encouraging return customers. (Burford, 1998)

Several countries across the globe are already enjoying the benefits of electronic
ticketing including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, France, Mexico,
Central America, Chile, Argentina, Belgium, Venezuela and The Netherlands. In fact, in
the US it has 80 per cent market penetration while in Europe it is approximately 40 per
cent. More than $350 million dollars in event tickets were sold online during 2000 in
U.S.A and the number was increased to $3.9 billion in 2004 (Bhatia, 2004).