Advaya Capital, a private investment firm acquiring high-quality businesses in sectors where the team has deep operational expertise, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Comscore Movies, the theatrical industry’s most trusted partner for worldwide box office measurement, from Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR). Following the close of the transaction, the business will return to its previous name, Rentrak, restoring the name under which the company originally built its position as the global entertainment industry’s most trusted source of box office data.
Comscore Movies is the global standard for theatrical box office data, collecting transaction-level data from approximately 34,000 theaters and more than 200,000 screens across 70+ countries. The business covers approximately 95% of the global box office and nearly 100% of the North American box office, providing studios, distributors, and exhibitors with the data they rely on for release strategy, financial settlements, talent compensation, and downstream licensing decisions.
“Comscore Movies has been the gold standard for box office data for nearly 50 years, and we will continue to provide customers and exhibitor partners with the same platform and same trusted service,” said Anant Gupta, Managing Partner of Advaya Capital. “This acquisition is a commitment to the theatrical industry’s past, present and future. Returning to the Rentrak name reflects a return to the spirit of service and innovation that made this platform what it is. In the near term we will continue to provide customers with the same platform and same trusted service, while making new investments in the platform to grow the dataset, build out analytics capabilities and bring this business into a new era. 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.”
Advaya Managing Partner Anant Gupta previously served on the board of Nielsen, the media ratings business, and brings extensive experience in the media measurement ecosystem. Chris Aronson, former President of Distribution at Paramount and 20th Century Fox, who also founded Rentrak Theatrical, will join the board of directors. Arturo Guillén, who served as Global Managing Director and Executive Vice President of Comscore Movies will also join the board bringing 25+ years of direct industry experience dating back to the origins of the business at EDI. The additions to the leadership team represent a deliberate pairing of continuity and innovation.
“The theatrical business is entering a period of profound evolution, and data is the compass that will guide its future,” said Arturo Guillén, Board Member and former Global Managing Director of Comscore Movies. “By combining Comscore’s unmatched historical data and global footprint with the agility of private enterprise along with the strategic vision of Chris Aronson and Anant Gupta, we are building a platform that doesn’t just report numbers, it builds the future of cinema. We are committed to helping the movie industry grow as a whole.”
“Comscore Movies has been a cornerstone of the global theatrical industry for nearly 50 years, and we are proud to have been its steward over the last decade,” said Jon Carpenter, CEO of Comscore. “This transaction places the business in the hands of a team with deep expertise in data and media platforms and a genuine commitment to the theatrical industry’s future. We wish our Movies colleagues all the best and look forward to their future success.”
The theatrical market has demonstrated a strong and sustained recovery. After years of headwinds following the COVID-19 pandemic, both the supply of films and audience demand have rebounded strongly, with the number of wide releases reaching 112 in 2025, up 19% from 2024. According to Comscore Movies Head of Marketplace Trends Paul Dergarabedian, the domestic theatrical market entered 2026 with strong momentum and is on track for as much as $9.6 billion in domestic box office sales for the full year, the biggest box office revenue since 2019 and a clear path to a $10 billion domestic year in 2027.
Innovation: Modernizing the World’s Most Trusted Box Office Platform
While continuity is the immediate priority, Advaya’s acquisition is equally a commitment to investment and innovation. The theatrical industry is growing, and the 2026 global box office is tracking as the strongest year since the pandemic.
Advaya plans to invest in the company across three dimensions: expanding and deepening the dataset, including in underpenetrated international markets; leveraging AI to automate and enhance data collection as well as build out descriptive and predictive analytics capabilities; and developing new products and services that address unmet needs across the theatrical ecosystem, with an eye toward the evolving relationship between theatrical release and streaming.
Advaya’s goal is to take what has long been the gold standard for box office data and build the platform the theatrical industry will need for the decade plus – one that gives studios, distributors, and exhibitors not just more data, but smarter, faster, more actionable intelligence. Advaya’s acquisition is a commitment to growing both the Rentrak business and the theatrical market overall by investing in the tools, data, and infrastructure the industry needs to thrive.
The business traces its roots to 1976, when Marcie Polier Swartz founded Entertainment Data Inc. (EDI), establishing the first system for neutral, trusted box office data collection. EDI was acquired by Nielsen in 1997 and rebranded Nielsen EDI. In 2010, Rentrak Theatrical acquired the Nielsen EDI business outright, unifying the industry under a combined, trusted platform. Rentrak merged with Comscore in 2016. Today Comscore Movies returns to the Rentrak name after nearly a decade.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260527277276/en/
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