Famous Players, Canada's Top Grossing Movie Chain, Expands Online Ticketing
Service in North America by Joining Hollywood.com, AMC Entertainment, National
Amusements and CBS in MovieTickets.com
TORONTO and BOCA RATON, Fla., March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- MovieTickets.com
announced today that Famous Players Inc., Canada's top grossing theatrical
exhibitor, has become a partner in the MovieTickets.com joint venture to
provide online movie ticketing. The announcement was made jointly by John
Bailey, President of Famous Players Inc., Mitchell Rubenstein, Chairman and
CEO of Hollywood.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOLL), Peter Brown, Chairman and CEO of
AMC Entertainment Inc. (Amex: AEN), and Shari E. Redstone, President of
National Amusements. With the addition of Famous Players, MovieTickets.com
has now secured three of the top grossing theatrical exhibitors in both the
U.S. and Canada as charter members of the service.
MovieTickets.com users will be able to purchase tickets for partnering
theatres across Canada and the United States, covering the top ten major U.S.
markets and more. MovieTickets.com plans to launch Memorial Day Weekend in
the U.S., and is open to all exhibitors seeking Internet ticketing.
MovieTickets.com will create a Canadian specific site offering a host of
specific services in both French and English. "We have built our success as
the longest operating exhibitor in Canada, and one of the original pioneering
companies in this industry, by understanding and paying special attention to
the tastes and preferences of Canadian moviegoers," explained John Bailey,
President of Famous Players. "As the only site dedicated to Canada's diverse
and multi-lingual audiences with a dedicated Canadian service,
MovieTickets.com will easily become Canada's one-stop destination on the web
for tickets, news and information about film and entertainment."
"The addition of Famous Players to the MovieTickets.com family extends the
overall reach of the Company into the major Canadian markets.
MovieTickets.com's online ticketing service will be available to moviegoers
throughout most major markets in the U.S. and Canada," said Mitchell
Rubenstein. "We believe this new service will add great value in customer
service for theatre exhibitors."
Famous Players, National Amusements and AMC theatres will provide
extensive in-theater promotional advertising for MovieTickets.com through
on-screen and in-lobby marketing programs and through each company's
respective web sites.
MovieTickets.com will employ the latest technology for maintaining data
security and will offer the customer the option of having MovieTickets.com act
as a "personal shopper" for customers, recommending movies and products to
suit each customer's personal preferences. MovieTickets.com owns both the
MovieTickets.com and MovieTicket.com URLs to ensure that moviegoers can easily
locate the site. Access to the site will also be available via Famous
Players' existing sites, including Famousplayers.com and Famousplayers.ca.
The Company recently signed an agreement in principle for CBS to receive a
5% ownership position in MovieTickets.com, Inc. Under terms of the agreement,
MovieTickets.com will receive $25 million of CBS promotion across the full
range of CBS media properties. Completion of this transaction is subject to
execution of a definitive agreement, customary closing conditions, and
approvals by the companies' boards of directors.
About Famous Players Inc.
In its 80th year, Famous Players is the market leader in new motion
picture exhibition in Canada. With superior technology and guest services,
the company operates 108 locations with 804 screens nationally. With
headquarters in Toronto, Famous Players is a business unit of Paramount
Pictures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA).
About MovieTickets.com
MovieTickets.com is the dedicated Internet site for the online sale of
movie tickets, with additional content to assist users with their moviegoing
plans. The web site is scheduled to launch Memorial Day weekend in the U.S.
MovieTickets.com, Inc. forward-looking statements
The matters discussed herein that are forward-looking statements are based
on current management expectations that involve risks and uncertainties that
may result in such expectations not being realized. These forward-looking
statements generally can be identified as such because the context of the
statement include words such as we "believe," "expect," "anticipate" or other
words of similar import. Similarly, statements herein that describe our
objectives, plans or goals also are forward-looking statements. Potential
risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to; the risks described
in Hollywood.com, Inc.'s, AMC Entertainment Inc.'s and National Amusements,
Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Hollywood.com, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.Famousplayers.com
CONTACT:
Maureen Squillace of Hollywood.com, Inc.,
310-586-2077, or msquillace@hollywood.com ; or Joanne Fraser of
Famous Players Inc., 416-969-6525
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