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Tools

X12 159 — Motion Picture Booking Confirmation

The 159 carries the booking confirmation between motion-picture distributor and exhibitor: title, venue, run dates, financial terms.

Purpose

The 159 documents the contractual commitment for a title release at a theatre: film reference, exhibition venue, engagement period (run), number of allocated screens, financial terms (rental percentage, minimum guarantee, settlement basis).

Used in the B2B circuit between studios (Disney, Warner, Universal) and chains (AMC, Cinemark, Regal). Typically preceded by an offer exchange and acknowledged by 997; actual revenue is reconciled post-run via an 820 (Remittance) or 811 (Consolidated Statement).

Envelope structure

The 159 travels within the three X12 envelope levels (ISA/IEA, GS/GE with functional group MB, and ST/SE). Didactic example in release 004010:

x12 example-159.x12 
ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*ACMEDISTR     *ZZ*ACMECINEMA    *260514*1300*U*00401*000000159*0*P*>~
GS*MB*ACMEDISTR*ACMECINEMA*20260514*1300*1*X*004010~
ST*159*0001~
BBC*00*BK-2026-7741*20260514*A~
N1*DI*ACME DISTRIBUTION*92*ACMD~
N1*EX*ACME CINEMAS INC*92*ACMEC~
N4*CHICAGO*IL*60601*US~
LX*1~
REF*ZZ*FILM-EVERWILD-2026~
DTM*150*20260619~
DTM*151*20260709~
QTY*38*4*EA~
AMT*RC*0.55~
AMT*MG*8500.00~
SE*11*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000159~

Common segments

  • Header — ST, BBC (Beginning Segment for Booking Confirmation), DTM.
  • Parties — N1*DI (Distributor), N1*EX (Exhibitor), N4 (exhibition city).
  • Title / Run — LX loop with REF (title), DTM*150 (start), DTM*151 (end), QTY (screen count).
  • Financial terms — AMT*RC (rental percentage), AMT*MG (minimum guarantee), AMT*HC (house cap).
  • Summary — SE.

Common pitfalls

  • Sliding scale: rental percentage decreases by run week; encode each week in a separate LX rather than a single AMT*RC that loses the progression.
  • House allowance: house deductions (staff, operating costs) impact the calculation base; document via AMT*HA (House Allowance) or the base is ambiguous.
  • Shifted release: if the release date shifts after confirmation, issue a new 159 with BBC02 function code 04 (Change), not an original 159 replacement.

Documentation

The code 159 and the name Motion Picture Booking Confirmation are public and listed on x12.org/products/transaction-sets. The complete structure of loops, qualifiers and code lists is distributed by DISA via the proprietary Implementation Guides (TR3). ediverse.io covers only public concepts, the envelope and didactic examples.