‘Pacific Rim’ gets SuperTicket treatment

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details.Pacific Rim, the sci-fi action movie directed by Guillermo del Toro, is getting the SuperTicket treatment.

Toronto-based Cineplex Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. said the movie, which opens next weekend, is the first to debut the so-called SuperTicket.

As the Times reported last month, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures Canada, Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures are partnering with Cineplex to offer a SuperTicket package that combines an admission ticket with a pre-order of a digital copy of the film.

At a cost of about $20, the pre-ordered digital version will include exclusive content and will be available before the DVD and Blu-ray release date.

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“SuperTicket is one of the most innovative offers in the movie business today,” said Pat Marshall, spokeswoman for Cineplex Entertainment.

Cineplex began selling the SuperTicket for Pacific Rim on Friday. For now, the SuperTicket will be available only at Cineplex theaters in Canada, but the concept is expected to expand to other theaters in North America if the experiment is successful and could lead to a new business model for movie distribution in Hollywood.

Paramount Pictures debuted its own Mega Ticket last month at select Regal Cinemas theaters for the Brad Pitt movie “World War Z.” The $50 ticket included an advance screening of the movie two days before its worldwide release, an HD copy of the movie, a pair of custom RealD 3-D glasses, a limited-edition full-size movie poster — and a small popcorn.

“We are thrilled to be partnered with Cineplex to bring this exciting new opportunity to movie-goers throughout Canada,” said Dan Fellman, president of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. “We’re excited that ‘Pacific Rim’ will be our inaugural title for this program.”

The digital copy of the film will include exclusive material on del Toro’s unique approach to monster films, the origins of Japanese cinema’s monsters, the Kaiju and Mecha, and a look at how del Toro’s production unit built sets used in the film.

“SuperTicket is an intriguing way to extend the movie-going experience beyond the theater,” del Toro said. “Fans of ‘Pacific Rim’ will enjoy early access to the UltraViolet title and exclusive content that really gets to the bottom of the inspiration behind the film and how it was made.”

[For the record, 5:35 p.m, July 5: A previous version of this post said “Pacific Rim” opens today. The movie opens in the U.S. and Canada on July 12.]

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