fandango
Latest
AMC transfers its on-demand streaming users to Vudu
AMC Entertainment’s streaming service is migrating its users to Vudu. The companies announced today that Vudu is “the official new streaming platform for consumers of AMC Theatres on Demand.”
Vudu and FandangoNow merge into a single streaming service
Vudu and FandangoNow are being merged into a single service simply called Vudu.
Vudu has arrived on Amazon's Fire TV platform
Now Amazon Fire TV users can rent or buy videos from Vudu.
Fandango is buying Vudu's video service from Walmart
Walmart expects the deal to close in the coming months.
Google Assistant uses ‘Duplex on the Web’ to buy your movie tickets
Since last year, you've been able to purchase movie tickets using your voice with Google Assistant and Fandango. Today, Google is enhancing that capability to make it more versatile.
Fandango launches its video service on Oculus Go and Quest headsets
You now have a particularly easy way to watch newer movies and TV shows on Oculus' self-contained VR headsets. Fandango has made its FandangoNOW video store available on the Oculus Go and Oculus Quest, providing quick access to about 90,000 titles overall and "hundreds" of 3D movies. You can rent a recent flick like Yesterday without disturbing anyone else in your home, or catch up on shows in between Beat Saber rounds.
'Avengers: Endgame' pre-sales are crashing movie ticket sites
If you were hoping to snag Avengers: Endgame tickets in a snap when pre-sales opened this morning, you might have been dismayed to see error messages or long wait times on ticket sites. Many of those trying to make sure they can see the Marvel blockbuster as soon as possible were greeted with error codes on several ticket sites in the US, UK and Canada (including AMC and Cineplex), while others were faced with virtual lines of more than an hour and other problems.
Comcast and Fandango try selling movie tickets through X1
The latest wrinkle for Comcast's X1 platform is an ability to kick-start the movie ticket purchasing process from your voice remote. A link with (NBCUniversal-owned) Fandango means that after pulling up the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom trailer on your TV, if you say "get tickets" or hit the info button it can pull up show times at local theaters, although actually buying them requires completing the process on Fandango's mobile app or website. Comcast VP Nancy Spears said in a statement that "Xfinity X1 enables us to continually explore one-of-a-kind experiences that complement the TV viewing experience, allowing viewers to interact with content where and when it is convenient for them. We're launching this experience starting with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in conjunction with the film's trailer and look forward to further enhancing additional movie titles with this functionality throughout the year." Even if it's limited just to corporate partners, the list of eligible movies could grow if Comcast manages to pull off a purchase of Fox's assets, and for Fandango it follows a similar integration with Instagram. Whether or not that happens, the interactive element could be the start of a trend as the cable company tries to find more ways to increase revenue from the customers who still have pay-TV at home. While we're usually heading to YouTube for our trailer viewing, the boxes already have a YouTube app (and Netflix of course) trying to keep viewers in the ecosystem as much as possible. For the new Jurassic Park flick, it's pulling together a curated selection of videos accessible by saying the title into your voice remote that has the previous films plus clips and trailers.
Instagram users can buy movie tickets without leaving the app
Today, Fandango announced that people can purchase movie tickets through Instagram, thanks to a "Buy Tickets" button on Fandango's Instagram profile. Additionally, a "Shop" button will allow users to look at movie merchandise and posters directly from Instagram. Clicking "Buy Tickets" opens up the Fandango home page within Instagram, which allows you to buy tickets for upcoming movies without leaving the app
Google Assistant can now buy movie tickets on your behalf
Google Assistant's latest trick is ordering movie tickets. It's a partnership with Fandango that enables the digital helper to assist you with movie night decisions. You can buy tickets with your voice, or you can ask for general showtimes in your area, along with finding out a movie's cast and maybe even watching a trailer. Google says picking assigned seats is pretty simple too.
Fandango pulls a Ticketmaster with plans to buy MovieTickets.com
Who doesn't love grabbing movie tickets from their mobile device before heading to the theater, skipping the long lines at the box office? No one, that's who. Now there's one less outlet to do so with, as Fandango continues to consolidate advance movie ticket sales with plans to acquire MovieTickets.com. According to Deadline, this leaves Atom Tickets as one of the only other competitors in the space, bringing Fandango closer to a Ticketmaster-style monopoly. The deal itself is set to close in the latter part of this year.
Facebook's 'M' AI assistant will help you choose a movie
Facebook had grand plans for its in-Messenger AI assistant, M, when it was launched in 2015. While the service hasn't quite yet lived up to the hype, the company is continually rolling out new features in a bid to make using it a fun experience, and to make it easier to get things done. From today, users in the US will see three new suggestions when using the app.
Fandango snaps up Rotten Tomatoes and Flixster
Fandango is growing its cinematic empire by acquiring the movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and its parent company Flixster, Deadline reports. As part of the deal, Flixster owner Warner Bros. will take a minority stake in Fandango. The news comes after Fandango also snapped up the streaming video service M-Go back in January, a move that made it clear it wanted do more than offer showtimes and online ticketing. Now, it's going to be an even more formidable opponent against the likes of Moviefone (which is owned by AOL).
Fandango finalizes a truce with the FTC after exposing your movie ticket data
Fandango slipped up in a big way between 2009 and 2013: its mobile apps would send your movie ticket purchases without a basic security measure, leaving credit card info and other data vulnerable to theft. However, the company is about to make amends for playing fast and loose with your personal info. The FTC has just approved a settlement with Fandango that will require the movie service to follow the straight and narrow. As agreed to in March, Fandango has to implement new procedures that address security concerns in apps before they reach the public; it will also have to get independent security reviews every other year for the next 20 years. The remedy won't help much if someone swiped your banking details while you were watching a summer blockbuster, but it should at least reduce the chances of a movie-related breach in the future.
IMDb updates Android and iOS apps, lets US users buy movie tickets directly
Last year IMDb updated its mobile application to bring folks HD-quality movie trailers to aid in their cinematic decision making. Today, iOS and Android users living in the US can act on those decisions with the addition of in-app movie ticket purchases. Purchases themselves are processed through Fandango, but doing so merely requires navigating to a preferred movie in IMDb, then choosing your preferred theater and time. The updates are available now, so head on down to the source for the new digital goodies -- Monday movie night awaits!
PSA: Passbook supported apps now listed in iOS 6 App Store
Now that iOS 6 has officially landed, Apple has pulled back the veil revealing the first wave of apps to support its new Passbook feature. The initial group of companies to jump on the bandwagon include: Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Lufthansa, MLB.com At Bat, Sephora to Go, Walgreens and Fandango Movies. While this list is a tad bit shorter than we hoped for, it's safe to say that more apps will follow in the not-so-distant future. Want to be the first to know when they arrive? Be sure to keep an eye on the Passbook section of the App Store for the latest updates.
Apple demos Passbook, a one-stop shop for tickets and boarding passes
From airline and train boarding passes to concert tickets, we've seen a variety of tix make their way into the digital realm at venues around the world. With today's announcement of Passbook, the hard copy credential may soon be a thing of the past. Speaking on stage at Apple's WWDC keynote, VP of iOS Software Scott Forstall demonstrated the feature with United boarding passes, Fandango movie tickets and a Starbucks gift card. While none of these examples are making their premiere debut, Passbook will certainly make the QR-code-based stubs more user-friendly, while also increasing awareness among folks who continue to opt for paper while doubting the usability and authenticity of a digital counterpart. Passbook is also location aware, bringing up a Starbucks card as you approach a shop, for example. You can also get updates related to your stored credentials, such as a gate change announcement with a pending United boarding pass. The feature will come bundled with iOS 6, set to launch this fall. Check out our full coverage of WWDC 2012 at our event hub!%Gallery-157917%
Avengers also wins big on mobile sales with Fandango
The Avengers movie did quite well last weekend, hitting number one at the US box office easily, and picking up the biggest domestic opening weekend ever. But it also hit another important record. Fandango reports that The Avengers beat its record for tickets sold via a mobile device. That's an important figure for Fandango, Marvel, and even Apple, or anyone making mobile devices or apps. It shows, according to Fandango general manager Rick Butler, that "mobile has clearly transitioned from just an alternative way to buy tickets to a primary choice for many weekend moviegoers." On Sunday, mobile represented a whopping 42% of total ticket sales for Fandango overall, so a very large amount of people are looking up movies on their mobile devices, and then buying them right then and there. Which creates a very large (and growing) market for ticket sales on mobile devices. The last film to hold this record was The Hunger Games, so I don't think this is the last we'll hear about higher mobile ticket sales. Fandango's sales on mobile will probably continue growing, and we'll probably see even more movie marketing users of mobile devices like the iPhone.
Mobile Miscellany: week of November 14, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of November 14, 2011: Sony Ericsson has teamed up with Ingram Micro, a distributor that ships phones to Amazon, Buy.com, Best Buy and Newegg, to expand the distribution of its Android lineup in the US. The deal will include a healthy chunk of the Xperia series, including the arc S. [PRNewswire] Like the Motorola Defy+ but it's just not tough enough? Check out the limited-edition JCB version of the rugged device, which adds a hardcore JCB case, a special app with handyman tools and a two-year extended warranty. And it can be yours through Clove on December 6th for £219. [TechDigest] Verizon introduced the LG Extrovert, a prepaid device with a slide-out four-row QWERTY, 2.8-inch WQVGA (400 x 240) touchscreen display, 2MP camera and expandable storage. It, however, lacks 3G data. It's all yours on Verizon's prepaid site for $110. [PhoneArena] Speaking of Big Red, the rugged Casio Gz'One Ravine 2 was launched this week, and can be yours for $150 with a two-year contract. [PhoneScoop] The BlackBerry Bold 9790, announced this week, is confirmed to show up in the UK on Vodafone and O2, likely sometime in January. [Unwired View] SFR is selling the ZTE Tania, but it appears to be sold as a carrier-branded Windows Phone. You can purchase it without a contract for €269, or with a two-year commitment for €9.99. [MobileTechWorld] Twitter for Windows Phone just got updated to be compatible with Mango. It's meant to offer a smoother experience, but doesn't bring any new features with it. [WMPowerUser] Fandango debuted a new paperless ticket system, in concert with Regal-owned theaters, which can send a scannable bar code to your phone when you want to go see a movie. The ticket-takers then simply scan the code and you're all ready to root on Team Edward in the latest Twilight movie. Just don't forget the popcorn. [Yahoo!]
Windows Phone 7 launch day app roundup
With thousands of developers churning out thousands of apps, we've no doubt exploring the Marketplace is going to be a full-time job for at least a day or two after you nab your Windows Phone 7 device this fall -- but with all the hullabaloo today, we thought this would be a good opportunity to highlight a few that Microsoft and its partners have been talking about recently. Dig in!
