Sunday, December 16, 2007

Gaia Online Will Make Movies Available

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Gaia Online, the leading online hangout for teens, today announced that Warner Bros.' movies will be made available through Gaia's virtual theater, the Gaia Cinemas, starting today. The more than 2.5 million teens who visit Gaia Online every month will be able to watch the legendary studio's films with daily free screenings as well as pay-per-view screenings. Movie titles will include box office smashes such as "The Matrix"; and "Batman Returns"; comedies including "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective"; "Caddyshack 2 & 3"; and classics including "Superman 2 & 3"; and "Risky Business".

The Gaia Cinemas boasts a true community experience where users and their friends watch movies together. In typical teen fashion, there is more to do inside the theaters than simply watch movies. Concession stands offer virtual popcorn and other items, including laser pointers, to enhance the viewing experience. Users can also chat during the films to share insights, commentary and jokes with other users. Virtual movie posters allow users to access information about the films or participate in a related Gaia Online forum without leaving the cinema experience.

"Teens spend hours each day on Gaia Online because there are always new ways to have fun and socialize. The Gaia Cinema is already abuzz with activity, and bringing a wide selection of films from Warner Bros.' incredible catalogue is another huge bonus for the Gaia Online community," said Craig Sherman, CEO, Gaia Online.

The premiere of the first Warner Bros. feature films in Gaia Online including "The Matrix," "Space Jam" and the classic "King Kong" takes place this week. Additional movies from Warner Bros.' library will be added to the Gaia Cinema schedule every Monday. While select movies will be available for free, recent releases will operate on a pay-per-view basis at $1.99 per screening.

"Virtual communities such as Gaia Online are reinventing the way that people experience entertainment. With the Gaia Cinema, teens can now enjoy Warner Bros.' movies with their friends regardless of where they are physically -- just across town or on the other side of the country," said Andrew Mellett, Senior Vice President, Video on Demand, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. "At Warner Bros., we are committed to identifying new channels to reach as many fans as possible and this partnership with Gaia provides a great new way for movie fans to experience our films."

Gaia Online is a social environment where teens come to hangout, have fun and express their individuality through customizable avatars, cars and homes; casual games; arenas for creative writing and artwork; discussion forums on thousands of topics; and virtual spaces such as movie theaters, drag races and towns. The Gaia community boasts more than 2.5 million unique users per month and is growing rapidly, with members spending an average of more than two hours on the site per day. Gaia's forums have exceeded a billion postings with a million new posts being added each day, and the Gaia economy sees upwards of 100,000 transactions per day.

The Gaia Cinemas opened earlier this year to the delighted approval of the community. Public domain classics such as "Night of the Living Dead" have been viewed well over a million times. More recently the Cinema has hosted a film festival, showing winning shorts made by Gaia members.

Gaia Online previously worked with Warner Bros. to conduct immersive promotions for its movies "The Last Mimzy", "Gracie" and "Nancy Drew". Members engaged in short quests in which they viewed trailers, performed other activities, and were rewarded with virtual goods related to the movies. Hundreds of thousands of virtual goods, such as soccer balls associated with "Gracie", were claimed by Gaia's members.

About Gaia Online

Founded in 2003, Gaia Online is the leading teen hangout on the web. Millions of teens come to Gaia every month to make friends, play games, watch movies in Gaia Cinemas, Gaia's virtual theaters, and participate in the world's most active online community. Gaia provides a fun, social environment that inspires individuality and creativity. With everything from art contests to discussion forums on poetry, politics, celebrities and more, to fully customizable profiles, digital characters and cars, Gaia is a place where teens can create their own space and express their individual style. For more information, visit http://www.gaiaonline.com/.

Gaia Online is a trademark of Gaia Interactive, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Source: PRNewswire

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