Movie Advisory Board Finds Overwhelming Commitment to In-Theater Moviegoing For Pirates of the Caribbean

Movie Advisory Board Finds Overwhelming Commitment to In-Theater Moviegoing For Pirates of the Caribbean

89% of Moviegoers Polled Would Have Still Paid to See Captain Jack on the Big Screen Even if Day and Date DVD Release Was Available

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Having measured the desire of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest moviegoers to see the film in- theater, the Movie Advisory Board, a joint initiative between Nielsen Entertainment and MovieTickets.com, announced today the results of a survey of over 1700 moviegoers who had seen Pirates from its opening through last week. 89% of Pirates theatergoers stated they would have still seen the film in a movie theater, even if it was available on the day of its theatrical release, either for sale or rental.

The exact question posed to those who purchased a ticket and attended Pirates in a movie theatre was:

If the DVD of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" were available
for sale (for between $19.99 and $24.99) or rental (at your usual rental
fee) on the SAME DAY it premiered in the theatres (last Friday 7/7/06),
would you have:

A. Bought the Pirates DVD and not seen it in the theater
B. Rented the Pirates DVD and not seen it in the theater
C. Still seen Pirates in the theater
D. Still seen Pirates in the theater and also bought the DVD
E. Still seen Pirates in the theater and also rented the DVD

The results were as follows:

7% - Bought the Pirates DVD and not seen it in the theater
4% - Rented the Pirates DVD and not seen it in the theater
38% - Still seen Pirates in the theater
47% - Still seen Pirates in the theater and also bought the DVD
4% - Still seen Pirates in the theater and also rented the DVD

Uniquely, all respondents to the survey were validated as ticket purchasers through the MovieTickets.com transaction data.

"Pirates illustrates the reliable commitment to moviegoing a consumer has when there is equity between the price and time required to consume a movie in the theater and the value derived," said Adrienne Becker, GM Strategic Development for Nielsen Entertainment. "Even with day and date release, the results of this preliminary study illustrate the potential opportunity to expand revenue rather than cannibalize it, with custom release strategies honed for specific films and their targets."

"When it comes to movie consumption options, Pirates demonstrates that the in-theater, moviegoing experience does not require oversized screens or 3D effects to maintain its unparalleled uniqueness," added Gary Hiller, President of MovieTickets.com's Market Research Division. "Whereas Pirates' historic box office numbers highlight moviegoers' interest in the film based on exposure to reviews, recommendations or marketing initiatives prior to seeing the film, these post-viewing survey numbers reveal Pirates moviegoers' specific commitment to see the film in the theater, notwithstanding the hypothetical availability of alternate methods of delivery and consumption."

The Movie Advisory Board's Choice Index continues to be developed and will be released weekly. Clients interested in the service can contact Nicholas Covey at 323/817-1958 of Nielsen.

About the Movie Advisory Board

The Movie Advisory Board (MAB) ( http://www.movieadvisoryboard.com/ ) is a joint initiative between Nielsen Entertainment and MovieTickets.com, a leading Internet box office. MAB is a community of moviegoers who either buy movie tickets or search for movie information online and who have elected to participate in a variety of market research endeavors. Some of the MAB services include moviegoer demographic reports, national exit services, online behavior analyses, windows tracking, time targeted mobile polling and advertising/media effectiveness. MAB affords clients the ability to both observe and converse with moviegoers, before and after a moviegoing decision, as well as the ability to match what the consumer reports doing, with actual behavior.

About Nielsen Entertainment

Nielsen Entertainment was formed in 2003 to bring together the best individuals, methodological practices and data collection resources across the world. Through custom research, consulting and the most comprehensive network of entertainment measurement systems, Nielsen Entertainment delivers Actionable Entertainment Intelligence to clients engaged in the business of selling entertainment and trading in the marketplace of our popular culture.

Nielsen Entertainment is comprised of the following businesses: National Research Group (NRG), Independent (NRGi), EDI and EDI International, Television Services, SoundScan, Broadcast Data Systems (BDS), Music Control, VideoScan, Market Navigator, Mobile, Live Events, BookScan, BookData, and Interactive Entertainment, and utilizes the full portfolio of sister companies including Nielsen Media Research and Nielsen Net Ratings to deliver a whole media point of view. Nielsen Entertainment is part of VNU ( http://www.vnu.com/ ), a global leader in information services for the media and entertainment industries.

About MovieTickets.com

MovieTickets.com ( http://www.movietickets.com/ ), the most powerful Internet movie ticketing service, provides consumers with the ease of a virtual box office from the convenience of their home or office. Formed in spring 2000, MovieTickets.com is a joint venture between AMC Entertainment, Hollywood Media Corp. (NASDAQ:HOLL), National Amusements, Famous Players, Marcus Theatres (NYSE:MCS), Viacom (NYSE:VIA), and America Online, and leverages the collective exhibitor expertise to deliver consumers a premium movie ticketing experience. MovieTickets.com enables consumers to buy tickets online for movie screens across the United States and Canada, and in the U.K. Its elite collection of partner theaters consistently represents over 50% of the top 50 and over 50% of the top 100 grossing theaters in North America on any given weekend.

Source: Movie Advisory Board

CONTACT: Nicholas Covey of Movie Advisory Board, +1-323-817-1958

Web site: http://www.movietickets.com/
http://www.movieadvisoryboard.com/
http://www.vnu.com/

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