Fandango has extended its contract with Regal Entertainment Group for five additional years, TheWrap has learned.
The new pact means the service will remain Regal's online ticketing hub through 2018. It's also important to Fandango, because Regal, with its 7,367 screens, is the largest movie theater circuit in the United States.
Regal has been a key element in Fandango’s roll-out of its paperless mobile ticket service. Fandango said the feature is now available in 1,000 of the circuit’s screens across the country, in cities such as Atlanta, Chicago,Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego , San Francisco, and Seattle.
“Our partnership with Fandango has led to breakthroughs in the areas of online and mobile, adding value to Regal’s guests with mobile ticketing and mobile barcode ticket scanning," said Amy Miles, CEO of Regal Entertainment Group.
Fandango said that 2012 was a record year in terms of ticket sales and web and mobile traffic, though the Comcast-owned company did not provide specific numbers.
Fandango's network of 20,000 screens boasts the four biggest exhibitors in the United States — Carmike Cinemas, AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theatres.
In addition to ticketing, the company has been building up original content offerings on its site. Last year, it tapped former Disney executive Paul Yanover for the newly created role of president and lured Entertainment Weekly columnist Dave Karger away to be Fandango's chief correspondent. In that capacity, Karger has anchored a series of web shows such as “Weekend Ticket," about the upcoming weekend film releases, and “The Frontrunners," a seasonal show covering news, predictions, reactions, snubs and surprises of the movie awards season.
