Fandango today announced that it hit a record-best first quarter in 12 years, with a 127% boost in ticket sales since the same period in 2011. The nation’s leading moviegoer destination also reported 33 million monthly visitors, up 58%, and sold 23% more mobile tickets over last year.
Rick Butler, Executive Vice President and General Manager, states, “This quarter is a significant milestone for Fandango, and shows the incredible momentum behind the company right now. Our unparalleled reach, product innovations and ability to guarantee seats for blockbusters like ‘The Hunger Games,’ are significant drivers of this success. We are excited to start off the year from such a strong position, and to be adding tremendous value to our exhibitor and studio partners.”
Fandango has been able to fuel its growth by expanding upon its movie exhibitors, increasing its theater network in Q1 by 19%. New chains include AMC Theatres, Regency Theatres and others, all seeing record-setting ticket sales for “The Hunger Games.” Fandango sold 22% of The Hunger Game’s tickets during its opening weekend, and at times 60,000 seats per hour. Fandango also recently signed a deal with Yahoo, becoming the main ticketing provider for all of the Yahoo network’s sites.
Fandango recently launched it’s popular “Movies with Friends” app for Facebook Timeline, which has promoted an increase in fan engagement and total traffic. Movie with Friends allows Facebook fans of Fandango to share their moviegoing activities on the fly.
In related news, it has just been reported that the District 12 set used in filming “The Hunger Games” is on sale in North Carolina for $1.4 million.