How to Make a Movie Theater Ticket Booth

Building your own movie theater ticket booth for a community fundraiser, school project, or dedicated room at home can help make the movie-viewing experience more fun. A ticket booth captures the mood and atmosphere you get when watching movies in big theaters. When making one, it doesn't have to be made of expensive materials to be presentable. You can make it interesting even if using cheap and readily accessible materials. Aside from the regular tools, like a pair of scissors or cutter, adhesive tape, and paint, you can simply recycle or buy a cheap refrigerator-sized box and some long wood pieces or PVC pipes to create your ticket booth.

1. Draw a layout of your design on a piece of paper. This way, you will be sure on how to cut and paint the box for your ticket booth.

2. Recycle or buy your box at any local appliance or furniture store. Since these stores regularly throw these boxes out, you may be able to get one for free. Ask a store's customer service representative for help in getting one.

3. Draw the shape you want for your box based on your layout. As a guide, mark it to be large enough to house the ticket seller, a small table, and chair or stool to be placed behind the booth. This usually means keeping the size of your box but shaping its contours to look like a booth instead of a typical rectangle. Make a three-sided booth with the back part open. The advantage of keeping it open from the back is to allow the person manning the booth to conveniently enter and exit it and place the table and chair inside.

4. Draw the shape of the window section on the upper box of your booth. As a guide, mark the window approximately halfway down, which would typically measure about 2 feet by 3 feet. It can be slightly smaller or bigger depending on the size of your box. To ensure the proper height for the window, you may also want to confirm the height of the chair and table to be placed inside the booth.

5. Place the box on a safe surface for cutting. You can use scissors or cutter to cut both the booth's shape and its window section according to the markings and drawings you made for them. Fold the box, if needed. Then, connect any part that requires attachments. Allow your work-in-progress booth to stand to check if everything is looking good.

7. Paint the entire box based on your design. It is best to use acrylic paint as it has minimal odor and provides fast drying time.

8. Make a "Tickets" sign on your booth. To make your booth more interesting, you can also add a movie marquee with the title of the movie to be shown.

9. Attach supporting frames on the sides of the booth. You can use wooden or PVC pipe pieces for your frames. They should be long enough to support the left and right sides of the booth. You can also place supporting pieces on the base for better security and to add more weight to it.

10. Allow your movie ticket booth to stand on its own in your intended location.

11. Place a chair or stool and a small table behind the booth.

12. Use a wooden dowel to wind your ticket roll. You may place this on top of the table or hang it near the booth's window section. You can buy your ticket roll at a local office or craft store.

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