America Online’s
cyberspace and telephone movie listing guide and ticketing
service AOL Moviefone signed exclusive new partnerships with seven theater
chains.
The deals will provide consumers with expanded access to showtimes and
information for each theater chain and for tickets through AOL Moviefone,
Moviefone.com and the other AOL brands, which combined reach 80 percent of
the online audience, American Online said.
The new partners include Crown Theatres, Classic Cinemas, select IMAX
Theatres, KLM Theatre Partners, Elttaes Theatres LLC, Colorado Cinema
Holdings and Cinema Four Inc. Financial arrangements were not disclosed. AOL
Moviefone will also provide an electronic backbone through which the chains
will be able to offer information and tickets via their own Web sites.
” We believe the combination of (AOL and Moviefone.com’s) giant customer
base and established technical expertise make them the only logical partner
for us as we embrace the Internet as a key tool in our business,” said Milt
Daly, senior executive vice president and chief operations officer of Crown Theaters.
AOL Moviefone’s new partners join more than 20 other chains that already
provide information and tickets through AOL Moviefone and Moviefone.com,
including United Artists Theatres, Loews Cineplex Entertainment, General
Cinema Theatres, Regal Cinemas, Famous Players, Cinemark Theatres and others.