Groupon ran a deal from Lionsgate for tickets for one or two (up to 60% Off) for the movie One For The Money, which opened on January 27. The deal ended just before 12:00PM Central on that day.
Over opening weekend, the movie ended up taking in $11.5 million domestically, which was more than expected. Variety reports:
According to Lionsgate, 32% of “Money’s” entire audience polled on opening night was aware of the Groupon deal, but only 11% of auds bought tickets using the promotion.
More telling, however, is that 93% of the film’s Groupon patrons saw “Money” because of the discounted rate. That means just 7% of Groupon auds already intended to see the film, Groupon notwithstanding.
Clearly, that speaks a great deal about Groupon’s influence. Considering, as Variety’s report indicates, Lionsgate was more aiming at spreading word of mouth for the film than expecting the Groupon deal to significantly boost box office numbers, I’d say they’re content with the strategy.
This is the second time a Groupon deal has proven effective for Lionsgate, as they also saw similar success with the Lincoln Lawyer last year.