On May 4, 2011, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced an agreement to acquire Flixster, including Rotten Tomatoes. The company did not disclose the purchase price. Warner Bros. framed the deal as a way to support digital content ownership; that was its stated strategy, not proof that the planned initiatives later succeeded.
What Warner Bros. agreed to acquire
Flixster was a movie discovery and social movie service; Rotten Tomatoes was a film reviews and information site. Warner Bros.’ announcement covered both properties. The transaction was announced as an agreement, and Warner Bros. said Flixster would continue to operate independently.
Rotten Tomatoes had become part of Flixster the year before. On January 4, 2010, Rotten Tomatoes announced that Flixster had acquired it from IGN Entertainment; the two sites said they would remain available as individual properties, and the financial terms were not disclosed. Rotten Tomatoes’ 2010 announcement.
Why Warner Bros. said it wanted Flixster
Warner Bros. described the acquisition as part of its effort to grow digital content ownership. Kevin Tsujihara, then president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and the Office of the President, said: “Driving the growth of digital ownership is a central, strategic focus for Warner Bros.” He added that the acquisition would help advance that strategy.
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The release pointed to proposed initiatives including Digital Everywhere, a studio-agnostic application intended to help consumers organize and access a digital library, and the studio’s support for UltraViolet. These were plans presented at the time of the announcement; the announcement alone does not establish whether they achieved their intended results.
How the companies said they would operate
Warner Bros. said Flixster would continue to operate independently. Its announcement also said Flixster’s team would remain in San Francisco and Rotten Tomatoes’ Los Angeles team would continue to work autonomously. These statements describe the operating arrangement Warner Bros. announced in 2011, not a guarantee of how the businesses operated afterward.
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- HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR MOVIES? Based on Rotten Tomatoes, the world’s most trusted resource for entertainment discovery and recommendations, this fast-paced party game asks up to 20 players to rank movies based on what they think their Tomatometer scores are.
- WILD, EASY-TO-LEARN GAMEPLAY: Adding to the fun are Wild Cards, some that invite all players to shout out answers at the same time. Mixing easy-to-learn gameplay and game cards with some of the most famous films of all time, this is the perfect game for any film buff looking to test their cinematic knowledge!
- KEY FEATURES: Based on Rotten Tomatoes, the definitive website for movie reviews, this party game is for 2-20 players (ages 10+) and has an estimated playtime of 20+ minutes per game.
- INSIDE THE BOX: 385 Cards, 1 Rules Card.
- ABOUT CRYPTOZOIC ENTERTAINMENT: Since 2010, Cryptozoic Entertainment has been dedicated to the concept of "Fans First," striving to develop the most creative and sought-after products for pop culture enthusiasts worldwide. As an entertainment company with a diverse portfolio of licensed and original IPs, its catalog covers a broad spectrum of tabletop games and collectibles. The passionate team at Cryptozoic aims to inspire gamers and collectors and bring fans together.
What the deal’s price and audience figures tell us
Warner Bros. did not disclose the acquisition price. Contemporaneous coverage likewise said the terms were undisclosed. A $60 million to $90 million figure appeared as an estimate attributed to earlier reports, not as confirmed consideration paid by Warner Bros. TechCrunch’s May 4, 2011 report and The Guardian’s contemporaneous report.
Warner Bros.’ May 2011 announcement gave the following scale figures. They are company-reported measurements from that time, not current audience statistics or independently audited figures:
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Rank #4
- Used Book in Good Condition
| Property or measure | Figure reported by Warner Bros. in May 2011 |
|---|---|
| Flixster monthly worldwide users | More than 25 million |
| Flixster mobile downloads across platforms | More than 35 million |
| Rotten Tomatoes monthly unique visitors | More than 12 million |
How to understand the ownership timeline
- January 4, 2010: Flixster acquired Rotten Tomatoes from IGN Entertainment, according to Rotten Tomatoes’ announcement.
- May 4, 2011: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced an agreement to acquire Flixster, including Rotten Tomatoes.
- Current ownership description: Rotten Tomatoes’ FAQ says Fandango owns the site. The FAQ describes Fandango as a joint venture in which Versant is the majority owner and Warner Bros. is the minority owner. This current description should not be mistaken for the terms of the 2011 transaction. Rotten Tomatoes FAQ.
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