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Design a Movie Ticket Booking System - Low-Level Design | OneNoughtOne

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Design a Movie Ticket Booking System

Intermediate

Design an object-oriented movie ticket booking system (like BookMyShow) with a Cinema → Screen → Seat hierarchy, movie catalogue, shows (screenings) with per-seat-type pricing, a two-step booking flow (hold → confirm), and seat hold expiry.

Each screen has rows of typed seats (Regular, Premium, VIP, Recliner). When a show is scheduled, a seat map is created with prices derived from the seat type. Users select seats which are temporarily held for 10 minutes (AVAILABLE → HELD). Upon payment, seats transition to BOOKED. If the hold expires, a background sweep releases seats back to AVAILABLE. Bookings can be cancelled with automatic seat release and refund.

Core Use Cases

Manage movie catalogue

Add movies with title, description, duration, language, genre, rating

Manage cinemas and screens

Add cinemas with screens; each screen has rows of typed seats (Regular, Premium, VIP, Recliner)

Schedule shows

Create a screening of a movie on a specific screen at a specific time with per-type pricing

Search movies and shows

Search movies by title/genre/language; browse shows by movie/city/date

View available seats

Display seat map for a show with availability and prices by seat type

Hold seats (temporary)

Temporarily hold selected seats for 10 minutes while user completes payment

Confirm booking

Process payment and transition booking from PENDING to CONFIRMED

Cancel booking

Cancel a confirmed booking, release seats, and process refund

Expire stale holds

Background sweep to release seats whose hold has timed out

Constraints

A seat can only be held by one booking at a time
Seat holds expire after 10 minutes if not confirmed
Hold is atomic: either all requested seats are held or none
A show's seat map is derived from the screen's seat layout + per-type pricing
Cancelled bookings release seats back to AVAILABLE immediately

Assumptions

In-memory storage (no database)
Single-threaded (concurrency is a follow-up)
Payment processing is simulated (always succeeds)
No partial booking (all seats in one booking belong to one show)
No overbooking allowed

In Scope

Movie catalogue with genre, language, rating
Cinema → Screen → Seat hierarchy
Show (screening) with per-seat-type pricing
Seat status lifecycle: AVAILABLE → HELD → BOOKED
Temporary seat hold with expiry (10 minutes)
Two-step booking flow: hold → confirm
Booking cancellation with seat release and refund
Movie/show search and filtering
Background expired-hold cleanup

Out of Scope

Real payment gateway integration
User authentication and authorization
Multi-booking discount / promo codes
Food and beverage add-ons
Seat recommendation / auto-selection
Reviews and ratings

Approach Guide(Click to expand each section)

Before diving into code, clarify the use cases and edge cases. Understanding the problem deeply leads to better class design.

List Core Use Cases

Identify the primary actions users will perform. For a parking lot: park vehicle, exit vehicle, check availability. Each becomes a method.

Identify Actors

Who interacts with the system? Customers, admins, automated systems? Each actor type may need different interfaces.

Clarify Constraints

What are the limits? Max vehicles, supported vehicle types, payment methods. Constraints drive your data structures.

Ask About Edge Cases

What happens on overflow? Concurrent access? Payment failures? Thinking about edge cases reveals hidden complexity.

Follow-up Questions(Questions an interviewer might ask)

💡 Draw UML class diagrams, sequence diagrams, or any design visualizations. Submit from the Code tab.

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00:00:00

Design a Movie Ticket Booking System

Intermediate

Core Use Cases

Manage movie catalogue

Add movies with title, description, duration, language, genre, rating

Manage cinemas and screens

Add cinemas with screens; each screen has rows of typed seats (Regular, Premium, VIP, Recliner)

Schedule shows

Create a screening of a movie on a specific screen at a specific time with per-type pricing

Search movies and shows

Search movies by title/genre/language; browse shows by movie/city/date

View available seats

Display seat map for a show with availability and prices by seat type

Hold seats (temporary)

Temporarily hold selected seats for 10 minutes while user completes payment

Confirm booking

Process payment and transition booking from PENDING to CONFIRMED

Cancel booking

Cancel a confirmed booking, release seats, and process refund

Expire stale holds

Background sweep to release seats whose hold has timed out

Constraints

A seat can only be held by one booking at a time
Seat holds expire after 10 minutes if not confirmed
Hold is atomic: either all requested seats are held or none
A show's seat map is derived from the screen's seat layout + per-type pricing
Cancelled bookings release seats back to AVAILABLE immediately

Assumptions

In-memory storage (no database)
Single-threaded (concurrency is a follow-up)
Payment processing is simulated (always succeeds)
No partial booking (all seats in one booking belong to one show)
No overbooking allowed

In Scope

Movie catalogue with genre, language, rating
Cinema → Screen → Seat hierarchy
Show (screening) with per-seat-type pricing
Seat status lifecycle: AVAILABLE → HELD → BOOKED
Temporary seat hold with expiry (10 minutes)
Two-step booking flow: hold → confirm
Booking cancellation with seat release and refund
Movie/show search and filtering
Background expired-hold cleanup

Out of Scope

Real payment gateway integration
User authentication and authorization
Multi-booking discount / promo codes
Food and beverage add-ons
Seat recommendation / auto-selection
Reviews and ratings

Approach Guide(Click to expand each section)

Before diving into code, clarify the use cases and edge cases. Understanding the problem deeply leads to better class design.

List Core Use Cases

Identify the primary actions users will perform. For a parking lot: park vehicle, exit vehicle, check availability. Each becomes a method.

Identify Actors

Who interacts with the system? Customers, admins, automated systems? Each actor type may need different interfaces.

Clarify Constraints

What are the limits? Max vehicles, supported vehicle types, payment methods. Constraints drive your data structures.

Ask About Edge Cases

What happens on overflow? Concurrent access? Payment failures? Thinking about edge cases reveals hidden complexity.

Follow-up Questions(Questions an interviewer might ask)

💡 Draw UML class diagrams, sequence diagrams, or any design visualizations. Submit from the Code tab.

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Design a Movie Ticket Booking System

Core Use Cases

Constraints

Assumptions

In Scope

Out of Scope

Approach Guide(Click to expand each section)

Follow-up Questions(Questions an interviewer might ask)

Explore the full editorial.

Sign in to view submissions

Design a Movie Ticket Booking System

Core Use Cases

Constraints

Assumptions

In Scope

Out of Scope

Approach Guide(Click to expand each section)

Follow-up Questions(Questions an interviewer might ask)

Explore the full editorial.

Sign in to view submissions

Design a Movie Ticket Booking System

Core Use Cases

Constraints

Assumptions

In Scope

Out of Scope

Approach Guide(Click to expand each section)

Gather Requirements~3 min

Identify Classes & Entities~4 min

Define Relationships~3 min

Apply Design Patterns~4 min

Apply SOLID Principles~3 min

Code Organization~2 min

Follow-up Questions(Questions an interviewer might ask)

1How would you handle concurrent seat bookings (two users selecting the same seat)?

2How would you add promo codes and discounts?

3How would you implement a seat recommendation algorithm?

4How would you add food/beverage add-ons to bookings?

5How would you scale this to handle a popular movie release (high traffic)?

Key Topics

Asked At

Explore the full editorial.

Sign in to view submissions

Design a Movie Ticket Booking System

Core Use Cases

Constraints

Assumptions

In Scope

Out of Scope

Approach Guide(Click to expand each section)

Gather Requirements~3 min

Identify Classes & Entities~4 min

Define Relationships~3 min

Apply Design Patterns~4 min

Apply SOLID Principles~3 min

Code Organization~2 min

Follow-up Questions(Questions an interviewer might ask)

1How would you handle concurrent seat bookings (two users selecting the same seat)?

2How would you add promo codes and discounts?

3How would you implement a seat recommendation algorithm?

4How would you add food/beverage add-ons to bookings?

5How would you scale this to handle a popular movie release (high traffic)?

Key Topics

Asked At

Explore the full editorial.

Sign in to view submissions