• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, September 7, 2010

Flixster and National CineMedia are joining in a multiplatform movie content and advertising alliance, allowing marketers to reach movie fans in theaters, online and via mobile devices. The deal will also provide Flixster with its first consumer marketing campaign, courtesy of NCM's cinema ad network.

Flixster and RottenTomatoes (which it acquired in January) will form the partnership's online presence, along with NCM's consumer-facing Web site. Record audiences seem to have benefited from the movie sites; Rotten Tomatoes reported a record-breaking average 40% year-over-year growth in unique visitors over the last five months.

On the cinema ad side, NCM's digital advertising and contribution network currently reaches 17,100 movie screens nationwide, along with associated platforms reaching movie theater lobbies.

Beginning this fall, NCM's "First Look" pre-show ad and content package will include messages promoting the Flixster partnership.

Currently, Flixster claims over 20 million users per month, plus another 30 million occasional users, while Rotten Tomatoes has about 10 million, for a combined audience of over 30 million. The combined entity's content offerings include a database of 250,000 movies, 2.3 billion user reviews, 20,000 trailers and videos, exclusive movie news and original editorial content.

They also offer applications for moviegoers, including theater and show listings, maps and online ticket sales.

Joe Greenstein, co-founder and CEO of Flixster Inc., stated that the union of Flixster and NCM "will reach hundreds of millions of moviegoers" in a cross-platform effort that provides "an immersive new way to connect consumers with compelling content and messages."

The mobile component will include Flixster and RottenTomatoes' combined mobile properties, which reach an estimated 3 million moviegoers via mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android-powered devices every weekend, per the company.