As it works to boost its revenue from non-movie showings, Plano-based Cinemark Holdings Inc. is looking to attract a new group of theater-goers: gamers. 
Cinemark executives talked about one test early Thursday, as they reported a drop in third quarter profit, due in part to a tough comparison vs its performance a year ago.
As the in-home theater market gains strength, movie theaters continue to look for ways to get consumers up off the couch.
Part of the effort involves the search for “alternative content opportunities” that can “increase utilization of our theatres,” the company said.
On Oct. 18, the theater operator exclusively live streamed The Riot Games League of Legends World Championship games from South Korea into three theatres: Plano, Evanston, Il. and Bellevue, Wash.
League of Legends is a “fast-paced, competitive online game,” that, according to the Web site, already has attracted more than 10 million combatants.
The three theaters had “multiple sold out auditoriums, [which was] especially impressive considering the games played in the middle of the night into the wee hours of the morning,” U.S. time, Tim Warner, Cinemark’s chief executive told analysts. “This one-of-a-kind viewing party allowed fans to watch this gaming event on our big screens in a communal environment with premium snacks.”
The company did not reveal the ticket price per person but said “alternative content generally has a premium price.”
The event was promoted largely through in-theater ads and on social media.
There was no word on when the next big gaming event would be shown.
The upbeat test results came as Cinemark reported profit for the three months ended Sept. 30, of about $38.1 million, less than half the year ago posting of $80.0 million, when the company “outperformed” the industry, Warner said. Profit per share was 33 cents, two cents below analysts’ estimates.
Third quarter revenue was $646.9 million, down nearly 15 percent from the $757.6 million tally a year ago. Admissions revenue was $402.9 million and concession revenue was $211.1 million.
An average ticket price increase of 2.9 percent, to $6.09, help blunt a drop in attendance, which decreased to 66.2 million patrons. Concession revenue per person gained 6.7 percent to $3.19 during the quarter.