Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Google movies: now playing

Red pill blue pill. Ship hits iceberg. One ring to rule them all. If you love movies, you know which films these phrases refer to. Now, thanks to our new movie feature, Google web search knows too.

Just in time for the Oscars, we've created a new "movie:" operator that enables you to find movie-related information faster and more easily, whether you're looking for titles or actors, director or genre, famous lines or obscure plot details. Can't remember the name of that film where Tom Hanks made friends with a volleyball? Search for [movie: Tom Hanks talking to a volleyball] and Google will tell you: it was Cast Away. Want rental recommendations? Try searching for [movie: awesome car chase] or [movie: good chick flick].

Looking for a multiplex near you? Use "movie:" followed by a U.S. zip code or city/state to find theaters and showtimes in your area (a search for [movie: Mountain View, CA], for example, will show you what's playing near the Googleplex). You can also just search on "movies," "showtimes" or the title of a current film, and your top result will be movie-related info for your area (if you haven't already saved your location using Google Local, just fill in your U.S. zip code or city/state and click the "Get Showtimes" button). And for those on the go, movie showtimes are also available on Google SMS (send a text message to 46645 -- aka. GOOGL on most phones -- to look up showtimes for nearby theaters).

Popcorn and a date to snuggle up with are up to you. For now.

Jess Lee
Associate Product Manager