Movie-Ticket Services Settle Loews Battle

Online movie-ticket service Fandango Inc. of Los Angeles and AOL Moviefone, a subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc., have settled their battle over the right to sell tickets for Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp. theaters. The settlement, which is expected to be announced formally today, leaves Fandango holding the exclusive rights to Loews, a founding partner of Fandango.

The legal battle, which stretched across several courts, erupted as Loews was reorganizing under the protection of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. Fandango accused Moviefone of trying to induce Loews to break its contract with Fandango; a federal bankruptcy judge ruled in August that Loews was bound by the agreement.

Financial details of the settlement were not disclosed. A division of Canadian holding company Onex Corp., Loews Cineplex is one of six theater chains aligned with Fandango.

*

Jon Healey