Rentrak Is Back As PE Firm Buys Comscore Movies, Restores Former Name: Chris Aronson Joins Board
Private equity firm Advaya Capital completed its purchase of Comscore’s box office analytics division Comscore Movies for about $70 million in cash and is renaming it Rentrak. Comscore Movies — which collects transaction level data from approximately 34,000 theaters and mor…
Private equity firm Advaya Capital completed its purchase of Comscore’s box office analytics division Comscore Movies for about $70 million in cash and is renaming it Rentrak.
Comscore Movies — which collects transaction level data from approximately 34,000 theaters and more than 200,000 screens across 70+ countries — operated for years as Rentrak until Comscore acquired it in 2016. 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 key data 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 Advaya Managing Partner Anant Gupta. “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.”
Gupta previously served on the board of Nielsen media ratings.
Chris Aronson, who most recently ran domestic distribution at Paramount and was the founder of Rentrak Theatrical, will join the board of directors, along with Arturo Guillén, who served as EVP and Global Managing Director of Comscore Movies.
Advaya plans to focus investment in three areas: 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.
“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 Comscore CEO Jon Carpenter. “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 is in recovery mode. 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.
