Imagine being able to order a container of hot-buttered popcorn or large soda without ever leaving your seat at the movie theater.

Ordering food from your seats is going to soon be a reality for movie-goers thanks to a new mobile payment app from MasterCard (News - Alert). It will be in use at some of Australia’s Premiere Hoyts theaters. Members of the audience will be able to order their choice of food and drink via a smartphone. A theater employee will deliver the food and drink to the audience member while he or she remains seated.

The app uses QkR from MasterCard, which will be put into use this month by the Commonwealth Bank. Matt Barr, who heads up Market Development and Innovation at MasterCard Australia, said in a statement that the company is “delivering what can only be described as generational change in payments technology," according to a story carried on 4-traders.com. "QkR has many possible uses, and this pilot is just one great example of leveraging different technologies in a new way to create an easy and convenient ordering experience," Barr added.

"For our La Premiere guests, being able to purchase a meal, dessert or another round of drinks using QkR without missing a second of the movie is a real luxury," Hoyts CEO Delfin Fernandez said in a recent statement. La Premiere features a menu of gourmet foods and select wines in a luxury viewing experience.

QkR can be employed by viewers either scanning a QR code at the table in front of their seat or by entering a QkR label. If a member of the audience has a phone featuring Near Field Communications (NFC) they can simply tap the label. A menu listing food and beverages appears, and the audience member orders his or her selection.

In a related matter, the bank has also introduced CommbankKaching, which employs MasterCard PayPass to let customers tap their phones to pay the amount due at check-out, 4-traders said.

Meanwhile, MasterCard has been working on several options for the QkR platform, according to Engadget. These include audio signals from TVs, which include purchase data, and tabletops in fast-food restaurants, which are embedded with NFC and QR codes. Another option may include the use of body gestures through Xbox Kinect.

As these advances are developed, MasterCard is also collaborating with Microsoft (News - Alert) to offer more payment options to small businesses, according to a report from TMCnet.

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