Google is now making it easier and quicker for people to find the right movie to watch at the theaters. As Google has now announced an update to their way in which Google Search displays new movie-related data with a view to streamlining the search experience overall.
Specifically, Google states that while the movie itself is likely to be one of the major factors leading to someone heading out to the theater in the first place, it is only one of those factors. For example, if the movie a user wants to see is not showing at a theater close to the searcher, or not at the time the searcher ideally wants to visit the theater, then there is a good chance those other factors – theater location and showtimes – might result in the searcher opting for a different movie altogether, one that is more theater or time-relevant. In other words, Google says it understands movie theater location and times are as important factors in the decision process as the actual movie and due to this Google Search will now provide its users with the option to filter movie results based on factors such as these.
This essentially means when someone performs a search for generic movie-related search terms, such as “movies” and “showtimes,” there will be a number of additional filters shown in the prominent results. These will not only be resigned to theater location or time, as users will also be able to refine by additional aspects including “Critic scores,” “Ratings” and even screen type – for instance, if you want to just check out a movie in 3D or on an IMAX screen, both of these options are now displayed as primary filter options. Regardless of which filter is used to identify the right movie, users will be able to continue with a booking and purchase a ticket through one of the many available options. Google states the update is now live for those making searches through the Android version of the Google app or through a mobile browser. Although the feature is currently only available to users in the US and in India.