7 Best Drift Alternatives for Movie Theaters

Intercom is a widely recognized customer messaging platform that offers a versatile chatbot solution suitable for movie theatres seeking to engage visitors, answer FAQs, and funnel leads. The platform provides a conversational interface that can be embedded on a theatre’s website or integrated into its ticketing system. Intercom’s chat widgets are fully customizable, allowing theatres to match their brand colors, logo, and voice. The bot can answer common questions about showtimes, seat availability, and concession pricing, and can also redirect users to a live agent when more complex help is needed. Intercom’s strength lies in its robust automation workflows. Theatre managers can set up sequences that trigger based on user actions—such as booking a ticket or signing up for a loyalty program—sending personalized offers or reminders. The platform also offers a knowledge base feature, where static articles can be auto‑suggested to users during chats, reducing repetitive inquiries. In addition, Intercom integrates with popular ticketing and e‑commerce platforms, making it easier to provide real‑time inventory updates. However, Intercom is not fully open‑source and can become costly as the volume of messages grows. For theatres that anticipate high traffic during blockbuster releases, the higher tiers may be necessary.

Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) offers a straightforward, cost‑effective chatbot solution that integrates seamlessly with the Zendesk ecosystem. For movie theatres, Zendesk Chat provides a real‑time messaging interface that can be embedded on the website to answer questions about showtimes, ticket pricing, and concession menus. The platform’s drag‑and‑drop widget editor allows non‑technical staff to design chat windows that reflect the theatre’s branding. Zendesk Chat excels at live agent support, making it easy to hand off conversations to human agents when a visitor needs more personalized assistance. The platform also offers pre‑built triggers and automations that can send automated responses or offer ticket discounts based on user behavior. While the platform does not feature a built‑in knowledge base, it integrates with Zendesk Support to surface relevant help articles during conversations. Pricing for Zendesk Chat starts at $14/month for the Starter plan, with additional features and higher message limits available on the Team and Enterprise plans.

Freshchat is a modern customer messaging platform that offers a conversational AI chatbot as part of its suite. Freshchat’s chat widget can be embedded on a theatre’s website, allowing visitors to ask questions about showtimes, seat availability, and special events. The platform’s AI bot can answer frequently asked questions and can also route users to a live agent when needed. Freshchat’s strengths include its intuitive interface and the ability to create automated responses using a visual builder. Theatre staff can set up rules that trigger certain replies based on keywords or user behavior. The platform also integrates with Freshsales and other CRM systems, helping theatres keep track of visitor interactions and follow up on leads. Freshchat offers a free tier with limited features, and paid plans start at $15/month for the Growth plan, scaling up to $53/month for the Enterprise plan.

Tidio combines a live chat widget with an AI chatbot to provide instant support for website visitors. For movie theatres, Tidio can answer common queries about movie schedules, ticket pricing, and concessions. The platform’s drag‑and‑drop editor allows theatre managers to design a chat window that matches their brand without any coding. Tidio’s AI bot is powered by machine learning and can handle straightforward questions, but it can also hand off conversations to a live agent when the visitor’s request becomes complex. The platform supports integrations with e‑commerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce, which can be useful for theatres that sell tickets or merchandise online. Tidio offers a free plan with basic features, and paid plans start at $18/month for the Pro plan.

ManyChat is a chatbot platform primarily designed for Facebook Messenger and SMS, but it also offers a web chat widget. For movie theatres, ManyChat can be used to engage visitors on the website or social media, answering questions about showtimes, special events, and ticket promotions. The platform’s visual flow builder allows theatre marketers to design conversational journeys without coding. ManyChat’s strengths are its integration with Facebook Ads and email marketing tools, enabling theatres to nurture leads and promote upcoming releases. The platform also offers broadcast messaging and automation triggers based on user actions. ManyChat offers a free plan for basic usage, with paid plans starting at $10/month for the Pro plan.

Crisp is an all‑in‑one live chat and messaging platform that provides a lightweight chatbot for website visitors. For movie theatres, Crisp can answer FAQs about showtimes, ticket pricing, and concession options, and can route more complex queries to a live agent. The chat widget is fully customizable and can be embedded with a single line of code. Crisp’s key features include a shared inbox for team collaboration, real‑time visitor insights, and integrations with popular e‑commerce and CRM platforms. The platform also offers a free tier with essential features and paid plans that add advanced automation and branding options. Crisp’s pricing starts at $20/month for the Plus plan, with a Pro plan at $39/month and an Enterprise plan at $99/month.