Fandango Media
American movie-ticketing, film-information, and digital-entertainment company.
Last updated August 21, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Fandango Media, LLC is an American entertainment technology company best known for selling advance movie tickets through the Fandango website and mobile applications. Its consumer services combine ticket purchasing with showtime discovery, film and television information, trailers, reviews, editorial features, and other promotional content. The company has developed from a theater-backed online ticketing venture into a broader digital entertainment portfolio that includes movie and television information, transactional video on demand, and streaming-related services. Fandango was founded in 2000 by J. Michael Cline and Art Levitt. Its early ownership included major American exhibition companies such as Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Regal Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, Cinemark Theatres, General Cinema Theatres, Edwards Theatres, and Century Theatres, alongside venture investors. The theater owners created the service partly to establish an alternative online and telephone ticketing channel and to compete with MovieTickets.com. Fandango obtained $15 million in venture financing from Technology Crossover Ventures in 2003, while remaining privately held. Comcast acquired Fandango in April 2007 and incorporated it into its wider digital entertainment strategy. The company subsequently expanded its content and distribution relationships, including the acquisition of the Movies.com domain from Disney in 2008 and a 2012 ticketing partnership with Yahoo! Movies. Paul Yanover became president in October 2012. Fandango also broadened beyond the United States: it acquired Brazil-based Ingresso in 2015 and Peru-based Cinepapaya in 2016. These assets were combined and marketed as Fandango Latam, although the company later exited most of the Latin American market during the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A major portfolio expansion occurred in 2016. Fandango acquired M-GO, a digital video-on-demand service created by Technicolor and DreamWorks Animation, and relaunched it as FandangoNOW. It also acquired Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes from Warner Bros. Entertainment. Rotten Tomatoes added a prominent film, television, and streaming-information business to Fandango's ticketing operations, while Warner Bros. received an equity interest in the combined company. In 2020, Fandango acquired Vudu from Walmart. FandangoNOW was combined with Vudu in 2021, and the service was renamed Fandango at Home in 2024. The company operates in a competitive market that has included MovieTickets.com, Atom Tickets, theater-chain ticketing systems, and other entertainment discovery platforms. Its strategic role is to connect moviegoers, cinemas, studios, and digital-content suppliers through consumer-facing discovery and transaction services. Fandango's United States business remains centered on movie tickets, while its broader portfolio links theatrical exhibition, audience reviews, entertainment metadata, and home digital viewing. The corporate ownership structure has changed over time; the company was initially acquired by Comcast and later described as a joint venture associated with Versant and Warner Bros. Discovery.
History
Fandango began in 2000 as a privately held online movie-ticketing venture founded by J. Michael Cline and Art Levitt. Its initial backing came from cinema exhibitors and venture investors. Theater owners including Regal Cinemas, Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike, General Cinema, Edwards, and Century participated in the ownership structure, helping Fandango build access to theater inventory and compete with MovieTickets.com. Technology Crossover Ventures provided $15 million in financing in 2003. Comcast acquired Fandango in April 2007. The acquisition placed Fandango within Comcast's entertainment and digital-media strategy and was followed by efforts to connect ticketing with broader online film content. Fandango acquired the Movies.com domain from Disney in 2008. In 2012 it formed a major distribution relationship with Yahoo! Movies, and Paul Yanover was appointed president later that year. Fandango also expanded its consumer product with member reviews, trailers, film clips, celebrity interviews, descriptions, showtimes, and mobile applications. In 2015 it introduced a policy allowing members to refund or exchange eligible orders up to two hours before showtime. Fandango's relationship with cinema chains was central to its growth. It had previously been involved in litigation concerning Loews and AOL Moviefone over online ticketing rights. In February 2012, Fandango began ticketing for all AMC Theatres locations in the United States. MovieTickets.com's shareholders challenged the arrangement, and AMC and MovieTickets.com later reached a settlement under which AMC ticketing was made available through both services. Atom Tickets, launched in 2014, became another notable competitor. Beginning in 2015, Fandango pursued international expansion and portfolio diversification. It acquired Ingresso in Brazil in September 2015 and Cinepapaya in December 2016. The businesses were combined as Fandango Latam, with a rebranding program announced in 2017. Partnerships with Cinépolis, Cinemark, National Amusements, and Cinemex added thousands of screens to the regional inventory in 2018. Fandango subsequently withdrew from most of Latin America in 2020 during the severe disruption to cinema operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; the Brazilian Ingresso business was excluded from that exit. The company also entered digital video. In early 2016 it acquired M-GO, a transactional video-on-demand service created by Technicolor and DreamWorks Animation, and renamed it FandangoNOW. In the same year, it purchased Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes from Warner Bros. Entertainment. Warner Bros. received an equity stake in the combined Fandango company, linking a major studio group to the ticketing and entertainment-information platform. Fandango later acquired Vudu from Walmart in 2020. FandangoNOW and Vudu were merged in August 2021, and the resulting service was renamed Fandango at Home in February 2024. Fandango has faced scrutiny over customer data security, online loyalty-program practices, rating methodology, and service reliability during major ticket releases. The most formal regulatory matter was the FTC's 2014 settlement concerning representations about mobile-app security and the protection of payment information. Rotten Tomatoes, now part of the wider portfolio, has separately attracted criticism over audience-rating calculations and perceived score manipulation or bias. Despite these controversies, Fandango remains primarily positioned as a United States movie-ticketing and entertainment-discovery platform, with adjacent businesses in reviews, metadata, and digital home video.
- 2024
Fandango at Home launched
[1]Vudu adopted the Fandango at Home name.
- 2021
FandangoNOW and Vudu combined
[1]The company's two transactional video services were consolidated.
- 2020
Vudu acquired
[1]Fandango completed its acquisition of Vudu from Walmart.
- 2016
M-GO and Rotten Tomatoes acquisitions
[1]Fandango acquired M-GO, Flixster, and Rotten Tomatoes, expanding into digital video and entertainment information.
- 2015
Ingresso acquired
[1]Fandango made its first international acquisition by purchasing Brazilian ticketing company Ingresso.
- 2012
Yahoo! Movies partnership
[1]Fandango became Yahoo! Movies' online and mobile ticketing provider.
- 2008
Movies.com domain acquired
[1]Fandango acquired the Movies.com domain from Disney.
- 2007
Comcast acquisition
[1]Comcast acquired Fandango.
- 2003
Venture financing secured
[1]Fandango raised $15 million from Technology Crossover Ventures.
- 2000
Fandango founded
[1]J. Michael Cline and Art Levitt founded Fandango as an online movie-ticketing company.
Products and positioning
A mainstream digital gateway for theatrical movie tickets, entertainment discovery, audience reviews, and transactional home video.
Movie ticketing and entertainment discovery · 2000
Fandango
Fandango's core consumer service sells advance tickets for participating cinemas through its website and mobile applications. It combines theater listings, showtimes, film descriptions, trailers, clips, reviews, and related promotional material. Members can manage eligible orders and, under the company's stated policy, may request refunds or exchanges before a specified period preceding the showtime.
Film and television information
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes provides information and review aggregation for films, television programs, and streaming content. Its critic and audience scores have made it an influential discovery and marketing reference, while its rating methodology and editorial practices have also attracted public criticism.
Transactional video on demand · 2016
Fandango at Home
Fandango at Home is the company's digital video storefront and home-entertainment service. It developed through Fandango's acquisition of M-GO and Vudu, the later FandangoNOW-Vudu combination, and the 2024 rebranding of Vudu. The service provides digital access to movies and television content through rental and purchase offerings.
Entertainment ticketing
Ingresso
Ingresso is a Brazilian ticketing business acquired by Fandango in 2015. It provided online ticketing for cinemas and other entertainment events, including major Brazilian cultural events. It remained distinct from Fandango's later withdrawal from most Latin American operations.
Controversies
2014
Mobile-app security settlement
The FTC approved final orders resolving allegations that Fandango misrepresented the security of its mobile application and failed to adequately protect the transmission of customers' sensitive information. The matter concerned SSL implementation and testing practices after the app's 2009 launch.
2009
Post-transaction marketing scrutiny
Fandango was reported among websites linked to controversial post-transaction loyalty-program practices, including allegations concerning third-party access to customer payment-card information.
Brand decisions
2020
Acquire Vudu from WalmartM&ABackground
Fandango pursued scale in digital movie and television distribution.
Action taken
Fandango agreed to acquire Vudu from Walmart and completed the transaction in July 2020.
Aftermath
Vudu and FandangoNOW were merged in 2021 before the service was renamed Fandango at Home in 2024.
2020
Exit most of Latin AmericaStrategyBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted cinema attendance and theatrical operations across the region.
Action taken
Fandango exited the Latin American market while excluding the Brazilian Ingresso operation.
Aftermath
Fandango concentrated its principal consumer operations in the United States.
2016
Acquire M-GO and expand into digital videoM&ABackground
Fandango sought to extend its movie-discovery and ticketing relationship into digital home entertainment.
Action taken
It acquired M-GO and relaunched the service as FandangoNOW.
Aftermath
Fandango later combined FandangoNOW with Vudu, creating the basis for Fandango at Home.
2016
Acquire Rotten Tomatoes and FlixsterM&ABackground
The acquisitions broadened Fandango from ticket transactions into film, television, and streaming information.
Action taken
Fandango acquired Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes from Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Aftermath
Warner Bros. received an equity interest in the combined Fandango company, and Rotten Tomatoes became one of its most visible properties.
Recent events
- 2024
Vudu was renamed Fandango at Home[1]
Product generation
The digital video service adopted Fandango at Home branding, aligning it more closely with the company's theatrical ticketing identity.
- 2021
Fandango merged FandangoNOW with Vudu[1]
M&A
The two transactional video services were consolidated into a single platform, with Vudu retained initially as the consumer-facing name.
- 2020
Fandango acquired Vudu from Walmart[1]
M&A
The transaction expanded Fandango's digital video business and provided the basis for combining Vudu with FandangoNOW.
- 2017
Customers reported problems obtaining The Last Jedi tickets[1]
Other
Fandango experienced customer complaints involving queues, website problems, and ticket-delivery issues during advance sales for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
- 2016
Fandango acquired M-GO[1]
M&A · Product launch
Fandango acquired the digital video service M-GO and subsequently relaunched it under the FandangoNOW name.
- 2016
Fandango acquired Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes[1]
M&A
The acquisition added major film and television information, review, and entertainment-discovery properties to Fandango's portfolio.
- 2016
Fandango acquired Cinepapaya[1]
M&A
Fandango purchased the Peru-based ticketing company and later combined it with Ingresso under the Fandango Latam brand.
- 2015
Fandango acquired Ingresso in Brazil[1]
M&A
The acquisition gave Fandango its first international ticketing asset and expanded its presence in Brazilian entertainment events.
- 2012
Fandango expanded its Yahoo! Movies ticketing partnership[1]
Other
Fandango became the official online and mobile ticketing provider for registered users of Yahoo! Movies.
- 2007
Fandango acquired by Comcast[1]
M&A
Comcast announced the acquisition of Fandango and planned to integrate the ticketing service into its broader online entertainment strategy.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/fandango-media · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled