Regal offers ‘ultimate ticket’ to James Bond ‘Spectre’ fans -- for $100

Hoping to lure more moviegoers into the shadowy world of 007, Regal Entertainment is offering an “ultimate ticket” to die-hard fans of James Bond.

The nation’s largest theater chain on Monday began selling a limited-edition $100 ticket for the upcoming Bond film, “Spectre.”

The ticket is a collectible card made out of black anodized steel emblazoned with the inimitable octopus symbol of Spectre, the criminal syndicate featured in the Bond films.

With the special ticket, customers get to see the movie as often as they want once it is released in theaters on Nov. 6, Regal said in a statement.

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Tickets are limited to the first 1,000 customers who order them online from the company’s website.

“It’s for the ultimate fan,” said Ken Thewes, chief marketing officer at Regal Entertainment Group. “It just gives them something they feel is cool and gives them a little status because it allows them to step into the theater whenever they want to watch the movie.”

If it succeeds, the “ultimate ticket” could be used on other movies that have strong fan bases, Thewes said in an interview.

“I don’t think anbyody’s fooling themselves that this is going to make ‘Spectre’s’ numbers any bigger than they are -- but we’re trying to give our moviegoers a different experience... we want to try new things,” he said.

The move marks the latest attempt by theaters and studios to try novel ways of marketing their movies while generating new sources of income at a time when cinemas face rising competition from entertainment options in the home.

In June 2013, Regal and Paramount Pictures offered a $50 “Mega Ticket” that included a ticket to see an advance screening of the Brad Pitt movie “World War Z” two days before its worldwide release. The package included one HD digital copy of the movie when it becomes available, a pair of custom RealD 3-D glasses, a limited-edition full-size movie poster — and a small popcorn.

Likewise, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures Canada, Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures also partnered with Canadian theater chain Cineplex to offer a SuperTicket package that combined an admission ticket with a pre-order of a digital copy of the film.

Regal Entertainment, based in Knoxville, Tenn., operates 567 theaters and 7,309 screens in 42 states.

“Spectre” is the latest Bond film from Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sam Mendes returns to direct the film, with Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007 for the fourth time.

Twitter: @rverrier

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