Atom app takes the hassle out of movie night with friends

There’s a new app for going to the movies, and your first film is free.

Atom is so sure it can improve how you go to the movies that it’s giving out a free ticket to new users. The app, which launched last year and is undergoing major expansion now, basically lets you skip all the lines: Tickets arrive via a QR code and concessions can be preordered — there’s even a special lane to pick up your food and drinks at participating theaters, and occasional freebies. You can also watch trailers and read reviews, and Atom will even recommend movies once it gets to know what you like.

But the best reason to try the app may just be a better way of getting together with your friends. Through Atom, you can set up a poll to decide on a movie together, invite people, coordinate plans through a chat feature and, best of all, everyone pays for their own ticket.

The bad news: Right now you can only buy tickets for movies at Regal Cinemas, AMC Theatres and Studio Movie Grill, and some theaters will charge a small convenience fee. But given all the hassle they take out of the process, plus that first free ticket, it’s worth checking out an extra late-summer blockbuster, no?

Atom is free and available on the App Store and Google Play.