Fandango is acquiring rival online ticketer MovieTickets.com
A consolidation in the advance movie ticketing space is happening today, with Fandango’s announcement that it’s acquiring rival MovieTickets.com for an undisclosed sum. The deal, which is expected to close before year-end, will help Fandango expand its international footprint, particularly in Latin America, as well as bring new cinemas to its ticketing platform.
Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, MovieTickets.com today serves moviegoers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Latin America. That means in addition to helping Fandango gain more ground in Latin America — particularly in popular movie-going countries Argentina and Mexico, Fandango says — the acquisition will allow Fandango to establish a presence in both Canada and the U.K. for the first time.
The deal follows other efforts Fandango had underway in Latin America, after announcing a new brand strategy for the region. This included new online and mobile ticketing destinations at Ingresso.com in Brazil, and Fandango Latin America (previously known as Cinepapaya) in several Latin American countries, including Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia.
Fandango says that MovieTickets.com will continue to operate from its HQ in Florida after the acquisition completes.
Beyond the regional expansion benefits arising from the deal, MovieTickets.com will also bring new cinemas to Fandango’s network, including National Amusements, Cineplex, Landmark Theatres, Marquee Cinemas and several independent theater chains. Prior to the acquisition, Fandango already had partnerships with over 80 percent of the U.S.’s theater chains with online ticketing capabilities.
MovieTickets.com isn’t Fandango’s only recent acquisition focused on international expansion and broadening its service. In 2016, Fandango bought Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes from Warner Bros. Entertainment, giving it the ability to help users learn more about movies and read reviews.
Fandango also last year bought movie streaming service M-GO from joint owners Dreamworks Animation and Technicolor, which it later rebranded FandangoNOW. That service now offers thousands of movies and TV shows for rent or purchase.
Other acquisitions include Brazil ticketer Ingresso.com and Peru’s Cinepapaya, referenced above.
With the addition of MovieTickets.com, Fandango’s suite of apps will reach “hundreds of millions” of moviegoers worldwide, the company claims.
“MovieTickets.com has done a terrific job, building a popular and trusted brand with millions of loyal customers and hundreds of exhibitors, and has been a champion of serving theater circuits large and small for nearly two decades,” said Fandango President Paul Yanover, in a statement. “We look forward to sharing an array of mobile and social media innovations with their customer base to enhance the movie discovery, planning and ticket buying experience.”
The deal is expected to close in Q4 2017.
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