Sundance favorite Dope will be the first film to accept digital currency Bitcoin to purchase movie tickets. The film’s production company, Open Road Films, teamed with MovieTickets.com and GoCoin to allow the transactions.
In the coming of age comedy, self-described geek Malcolm (Shameik Moore) lives in a tough Los Angeles neighborhood, and he and his friends find themselves on an adventure after they are invited to an underground party. It’s not coincidence that the producers chose to use Bitcoin as a payment option. In the film, when Malcolm and his friends get in a pinch and have to sell drugs quickly, they decide to use Bitcoin.
Bitcoin, which allows for peer to peer transactions with out going through a bank or credit card system, has had a bit of a rocky history, but seems to be on the upswing. It’ll be interesting to see if more studios follow the trend.