'MATRIX' RELOADING ADVANCE MOVIE TICKET SALES.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer ``The Matrix Reloaded,'' having its first full day in theaters today, has shattered Fandango fandango (făndăng`gō), ancient Spanish dance, probably of Moorish origin, that came into Europe in the 17th cent. It is in triple time and is danced by a single couple to the accompaniment of castanets, guitar, and songs sung by the Inc. sales records by selling tickets at an unprecedented rate of two per second, the company said Wednesday. The Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . sequel to 1999's ``The Matrix'' began its run with 10 p.m. showings Wednesday at more than 2,500 theaters. It expands to more than 3,600 locations nationwide today. Fandango reported that many of the Wednesday night showings were already sold out as eager fans snapped up their tickets online to ensure they get a seat. ``We believe this sales velocity demonstrates not only enthusiasm for 'The Matrix Reloaded,' but for buying tickets in advance,'' said Art Levitt, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Santa Monica-based Fandango. The new sci-fi thriller had the largest domestic release in history with 8,517 prints. It edged past the previous record of 8,515 prints established last year by ``Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,'' another Warner Bros. release. Some theaters, including Grauman's Chinese Theatre  The of this article or section may be compromised by "peacock terms".You can help Wikipedia by removing peacock terms. in Hollywood, reported already being sold out for its showings tonight and Friday night in addition to its Wednesday night sellout. Other locations will initially be running the R-rated film around the clock while some theaters including the Sherman Oaks Galleria's Pacific Theatres were busy adding extra shows Wednesday for the sneak preview sneak preview n. A single public showing of a movie before its general release. Noun 1. sneak preview - a preview to test audience reactions crowd. ``The phones have been going crazy all day long,'' said cashier Iva Campana. ``We've been telling people to get here an hour-and-a-half ahead of time because it's sold so well. Even the employees are buying tickets.'' Meanwhile, Fandango also announced this week that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with United Artists Theaters which increases its market penetration Noun 1. market penetration - the extent to which a product is recognized and bought by customers in a particular market penetration - the act of entering into or through something; "the penetration of upper management by women" by nearly 200 theaters. This makes Fandango, which has just changed its number to 1-800-FANDANGO, available in nearly 70 percent of all theaters in the U.S. Fandango's two main rivals are MovieTickets.com and AOL (A division of Time Warner, Inc., New York, NY, www.aol.com) The world's largest online information service with access to the Internet, e-mail, chat rooms and a variety of databases and services. Moviefone which offer similar services and also reported a surge in ticket sales for ``The Matrix Reloaded.'' Staff Writer Brent Hopkins contributed to this report. |
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