Hollywood power broker Ari Emanuel is poised to acquire the parent company of Secret Cinema, the London-based immersive film and TV business that has put on shows themed on movies such as Star Wars and Stranger Things.
Emanuel, who co-founded US entertainment group Endeavor and now runs the company behind World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is to buy TodayTix Group, the Guardian understands.
The US-based digital ticketing firm acquired Secret Cinema in a $100m (£90m) deal in 2022 and went on to expand the UK operation to the US and Australia.
The deal is the second for Emanuel’s as-yet-unnamed global events company, which is backed by Apollo Global Management and Redbird Capital Partners, and likely to formally launch in the coming weeks.
RedBird Capital has investments including Premier League team Liverpool FC, AC Milan and is trying to push through a deal to buy the Telegraph newspaper group.
In May, Emanuel’s events company bought the Frieze global art fair and publishing group from Endeavor, where he remains executive chair of its Hollywood talent agency WME Group, in a deal valuing the business at $200m.
The consortium is also in the running to buy Endeavor’s tennis assets, which include the Miami and Madrid Open tournaments, according to reports.
Secret Cinema was founded in 2007 by entrepreneur Fabien Riggall, initially with mystery screenings at undisclosed venues in London, involving sets and interactive performances. Deals with media companies including Disney were followed by a move into television, initially with Netflix.
TodayTix Group was founded in 2013 by Broadway producers Brian Fenty and Merritt Baer, who met at theatre camp as kids.
The company started out in ticketing with a mission to “find a seat for everyone”, with brands including New York Theatre Guide.
It then branched out into creating its own events including a supper club in New York’s Times Square and holding concerts with Broadway stars in Brooklyn.
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Secret Group, the former parent of Secret Cinema, came in for criticism during Covid for receiving almost £1m from the government’s culture recovery fund while more affordable and accessible venues had been turned down.
In 2021, Secret Cinema was forced to defend proposals for an immersive Dirty Dancing event in east London, after residents claimed it would be “hijacking” vital green space during the summer and could present a Covid risk.
Endeavor – which was bought for $25bn earlier this year by the private equity firm Silver Lake – first bought a 70% stake in Frieze in 2016 under Emanuel’s leadership and then took full ownership in 2023.
TodayTix Group has been approached for comment.