Private investment firm Advaya Capital has completed a deal to acquire Comscore Movies, which collects box office grosses and tracks data across all cinemas in North America and 95 percent of theaters globally for Hollywood studios and other clients. Going forward, the venture will once again be known as Rentrak, the name it operated under for years before being sold to Comscore.
According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Comscore sold its box office business for $70 million in cash.
The sale comes as the theatrical business is in the midst of a rebound, on track to post its best year since the pandemic.
“This acquisition is a commitment to theatrical industry’s past, present and future,” Advaya Capital managing partner Anat Guptal said in a statement. “Returning to the Rentrak name reflects a return to the spirit of service and innovation that made this platform what it is. We look forward to engaging with studios, distributors and theaters alike to hear how we can continue to improve upon the legacy of the business.”
The team working behind the scenes to buy Comscore Movies from Comscore Inc. include longtime studio distribution executive Chris Aronson, who was most recently president of domestic distribution at Paramount. During a break between studio gigs, he founded Rentrak Theatrical, which bolstered the ability to gather grosses in real-time from theaters around the country.
