Reimagining the Movie Experience at blue Cinema
Centralsoft rebuilt bluecinema.ch into a modern cinema platform that is fast, intuitive, and deeply integrated with programming data, ticketing, and memberships. The transformation gave editors real autonomy, aligned program data with what customers see online, and delivered a clear, mobile-first booking journey for moviegoers.
bluecinema.ch
Overview
blue Cinema, operated by blue Entertainment under Swisscom, is one of Switzerland’s leading cinema networks. With dozens of venues, premium formats such as IMAX and 4DX, and a large base of returning customers, the digital experience had to reflect the scale and polish of the in-cinema brand. Before this project, the site ran on WordPress. Content management was restrictive, marketing updates took too long, and showtimes published online could drift out of sync with the schedules configured centrally. The majority of visitors arrive on mobile, yet discovering films, browsing screenings, choosing seats, and checking out felt cumbersome. Membership programs such as blue Cinema Club and Rewards did not surface clearly in the journey, so benefits were underused. By mid-2024, blue needed more than a redesign. The requirement was a single platform that merged editorial storytelling with real-time programming data, offered an end-to-end booking and seat-map flow, and connected memberships and wallets in one place. Centralsoft led the full replatforming of bluecinema.ch, replacing the legacy build with a headless CMS, a modular frontend, and API integrations that pull data from the Head Office tool into the CMS and then into the site.
Problems
- Wordpress made updates slow and offered limited flexibility regarding editorial work and frontend representation.
- Programs, showtimes, pricing, and availability were not always aligned between the Head Office tool and what appeared online.
- The booking flow felt fragmented on mobile and seat selection was not sufficiently clear.
- Membership tiers, rewards, and voucher options were not visible at the right moments in the journey.
- The account section did not consolidate tickets, vouchers, gift cards, and memberships.
- Cinema and event pages were not indexed well in search engines, which limited discoverability.
Solutions
- Migrated to Livingdocs headless CMS so editors could manage pages with modular components and publish quickly.
- Built a React and Next.js frontend for responsive pages, fast rendering, and consistent design.
- Integrated real-time API data so movies, screenings, seat availability, ticket categories, and prices reflect the Head Office configuration.
- Rebuilt the booking flow from discovery to checkout with clear seat maps, fewer steps, and mobile-first interactions.
- Consolidated tickets, memberships, vouchers, and gift cards into a unified wallet and account dashboard.
- Improved search visibility through technical SEO and editorial SEO, including structured content, clean URLs, and search-friendly page patterns.
Working with Centralsoft has been a game-changer. They helped us completely reimagine and relaunch bluecinema.ch with a modern, scalable, and high-performance architecture. Beyond technical excellence, what truly sets Centralsoft apart is their collaborative spirit, proactive mindset, and ability to simplify complexity. They don't just deliver - they think ahead with us.
Jule Aderholz
Head of Digital at blue Entertainment AG (Swisscom Schweiz AG)
(Swisscom Schweiz AG)Outcome & Impact
What began as a redesign turned into a strategic transformation. Centralsoft led the full rebuild of bluecinema.ch from editorial workflows to real-time integrations shaping it into a modern, scalable, and future-ready digital hub. At the core, we migrated their editorial operations to Livingdocs, a flexible headless CMS. Editorial work that once took hours now happens in minutes. Cinema pages, seasonal campaigns, and localized highlights go live without developer involvement, thanks to reusable modular components that ensure brand consistency and fast time-to-market. Content sync is reliable, with movie program data flowing automatically from the Head Office tool into both the CMS and the frontend. For the editorial team, this means less duplication, more autonomy, and dependable delivery even during high-traffic moments like premieres or holidays. On the frontend, we engineered a responsive architecture that integrates with multiple APIs. Real-time showtimes, seat availability, pricing, and member benefits are now dynamically displayed per region. The booking flow was completely rebuilt and optimized for mobile: discovering a film, selecting a showtime, choosing a seat, and completing a purchase now feels natural and frictionless. A new wallet feature brings everything together after checkout from tickets to loyalty perks. Customers can easily track bookings, view or upgrade their membership tier, and understand the benefits tied to their account. Performance was a top priority. The platform handles API inconsistencies with fallback mechanisms, ensures strong SEO visibility across cinemas and events, and is already powering native mobile experiences using the same CMS structure and API contracts protecting the long-term investment. In short, blue Cinema now has the tools to move faster, run smarter campaigns, and offer a streamlined experience across every screen.
Faster page loads and smoother mobile booking have reduced drop-offs and early exits. Conversions from showtime to checkout are more consistent, even during peak times. Editorial updates now go live within hours, not days. Improved search indexing and clearer account views led to more visibility and fewer support requests.
Booking flow and ticket experience
The full journey was rebuilt with clarity and speed in mind. Visitors start with discovery, filter by cinema, date, region, or format, and view screenings in structured time blocks. The seat map reflects the actual auditorium, updates in real time, and makes availability obvious. Ticket categories and promotions are presented in plain language. Membership perks can be applied automatically when a user is signed in. Checkout minimizes steps and surfaces only what is required on each screen. After completion, tickets appear instantly in the wallet with a QR code for entry. Where reservations are offered, the status and deadline are shown so users know exactly what to expect.
Movie showcase and discovery
The homepage and landing pages combine editorial control with live data. Movie grids and sliders can be curated for movie events, opera nights, sport events, while still pulling showtimes and essentials from the API. Detail pages present synopsis, trailers, cast, age ratings, formats available at each cinema, and the associated screenings. Editors can add highlights and context without losing the connection to program data, so the storefront remains both informative and accurate.
Memberships
Memberships are part of the journey rather than an afterthought. Rewards and blue Cinema Club are visible at the right time, and the web supports the transformation to a tiered model with Solo, Duo, and Family. Users can understand benefits and pricing, purchase for themselves or as a gift, and see the result in their wallet. During a ticket purchase, applicable benefits are clear, which encourages uptake and repeat use.
Account and Wallet
The wallet consolidates everything of value to a customer. Tickets and reservations show status, seat and screening details, and a QR code. Gift cards and vouchers appear with balances and expiry. Memberships display tier, validity, and benefits. The account view is clean, mobile-friendly, and focused on self-service to reduce friction and support needs.
Architecture and page types
bluecinema.ch mixes page strategies to fit the problem. Some pages are frontend-only and render purely from imported data, for example the movie overview and movie detail pages. Others are CMS pages that include dynamic components. A cinema page might be built in the CMS but contain placeholders for a movie grid or seat map that is filled by live API data. This hybrid model ensures that editorial freedom and program accuracy coexist. Editors shape the page structure and messaging, while APIs guarantee that listings, times, and tickets remain accurate without manual effort.
Timeline
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