Fandango Makes Moviegoing More Social than Ever with New Facebook Timeline App, "Movies with Friends"

AUSTIN, Texas, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- South by Southwest --  Fandango announced today at South by Southwest that it has launched a new Facebook timeline app that makes moviegoing more social than ever. The new app, called "Movies with Friends," allows fans to share their movie-based activities and recommendations on their Facebook timeline and News Feed, while seeing their Facebook friends' movie picks via an activity bar on Fandango's website.  The feature will also provide fans the choice to actively share information about their moviegoing plans and invite others to join them, facilitating moviegoing with friends in real time.

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"Movies with Friends" is an opt-in app that allows Fandango's tens of million online visitors and 1.4 million Facebook fans to share up-to-the minute film information, including:

• Movies they've rated and reviewed on Fandango, from "Must Go" to "Oh No!;"
• Movies they want to see, indicated by the "I'm In!" button;
• Movie trailers, clips and celebrity interviews they have just watched;
• Articles they've read on Fandango's "Freshly Popped" blog.

"Moviegoing is an inherently social activity and this new timeline app provides fans with an effortless way to share that experience with their friends and introduce them to the depth of movie content found on Fandango," said Nick Lehman, President of NBCUniversal Entertainment & Digital Networks & Integrated Marketing, of which Fandango is a part.  "'Movies with Friends' is one of the many ways we plan to engage fans pervasively via social media."

"We are excited to bring even more social engagement to Fandango's avid moviegoers," says Fandango Executive Vice President and General Manager Rick Butler. "We have a highly-engaged base of over 1.4 million Facebook fans, and we see this number growing significantly with the addition of this new timeline app, allowing film buffs to share their moviegoing activities with new audiences in their network."

The launch of the Movies with Friends app follows on the heels of Fandango's best-selling January and February in the company's nearly-12-year history. Fandango recently announced new ticketing agreements with Regency Theatres, and with AMC Theatres, adding 3,000 new AMC screens to its extensive network of movie theaters across the country, now numbering a total of nearly 20,000 screens.  Fandango's 30 million unique visitors regularly account for a significant percentage of opening weekend tickets sold nationwide, and the company is already reporting hundreds of sold-out showtimes for the March 23 release of "The Hunger Games."

About Fandango

Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination, sells tickets to nearly 20,000 screens nationwide. Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary, celebrity interviews and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance. At many theaters, fans can print their tickets at home or receive them as a paperless Mobile Ticket on their smartphones. 

Fandango is available online at www.fandango.com, via smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, and at 1-800-FANDANGO. Fandango's top-ranking movie ticketing apps, with over 22 million downloads, are available on the iPhone and iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and many other platforms. Fandango is enjoyed by more than 30 million online and mobile visitors per month. Film fans find Fandango on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fandango and on Twitter @Fandango. 

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SOURCE Fandango