Groupon Goes to the Movies

As if there could be any doubt that Silicon Valley and Hollywood are enmeshed, Facebook is testing movie delivery with Warner Bros. starting with Batman The Dark Knight rentals for 30 Facebook credits or $3.              

Netflix, already in the streaming movie business, has committed approximately $100 million to buy and develop two 13-episode seasons of House of Cards, a drama starring Kevin Spacey, produced and directed by David Fincher.

Now Groupon, while not streaming, is bringing its members to the big show with its first deal offer for movie tickets.

The promotion involves Lionsgate’s new release, The Lincoln Lawyer, the legal drama starring Matthew McConaughey and Marisa Tomei that opens this Friday. 

The tickets are priced at $6 each and available in several major cities. It’s pretty simple: pay the money to Groupon and receive a code to purchase tickets on Fandango.com, in a deal that is redeemable any time during the film’s theatrical run.

Rob Solomon, Groupon president and COO, describes the offer as "a strong start to what will hopefully be deep and mutually beneficial relationships with movie studios and theatrical exhibitors." 

Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns, meanwhile, calls Groupon the "perfect online partner."

Sounds like a romance right out of Hollywood.