Movie ticket agents have developed from the position of theater ticket agents, which go back to before Shakespearean times. In those days, the ticket seller would collect admission money and put it in a small, locked box. During the performance, that box of money would be locked in an office--which came to be known as the "box office." When movie theaters began in the early 20th century, they operated in a similar way. The ticket seller was now a movie ticket agent, but he or she still worked taking money for admission to a show, and they were still responsible for keeping safe the money in the box office.
The chief function of a movie ticket agent is to greet customers and to collect from them the price of admission. They are there to give the patrons a way into the theater where they can watch their movie. They are the first face patrons will see as they begin their evening out at the movies. They also perform the function--collecting money--that allows the theater to continue to show films and pay employees.
The average salary of a movie ticket agent as of 2008 is between $7.87 and $8.35 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In most cases, it's easy to identify movie ticket agents. They are the ones behind the bullet-proof glass, speaking into a microphone and taking money in exchange for tickets. They often wear vests with name tags, proclaiming them an employee of the theater. If they aren't in the box office, you can sometimes identify them by the key ring they might carry that allows them to get in and out of the box office and the cash drawers.
Movie ticket agents have one primary duty, which is to collect funds from patrons and give them the tickets that will admit them into the film of their choice. They also have some secondary duties. They have to check identification to make sure that nobody under 17 gets into R-rated movies without an adult. They also have to answer questions about movie times and special rates for certain shows.
If a customer has special needs, such as handicapped accessibility, the movie ticket agent might arrange it with the manager or another employee. Movie ticket agents also have to make sure that the cash drawer balances out at the end of their shift so that the theater can keep accurate count of its revenues.
Some people expect movie ticket agents to be knowledgeable about every movie being shown, when, in fact, they probably have only seen a few of them. Others have the impression that all movie ticket agents are sullen teenagers who don't care about customer service. While some patrons may have had that experience, the fact is that most movie ticket agents (whether teenagers or not) are courteous and professional.
Another misconception involves the idea that someone under 17 can't sell tickets to R-rated movies. This isn't the case; ticket agents can sell the tickets, but they can't watch the movies. Most movie ticket agents, however, are over 17.
Some customers also are under the mistaken impression that the movie ticket agent has some influence over the price of the tickets they sell.