Imax Heads For Best Year Ever As It Capitalizes On Box Office Rebound

More than a twelvemonth earlier “F1: The Movie” would yet deed theaters, Apple struck a woody pinch IMAX.

The workplace secured nan usage of IMAX’s camera exertion arsenic good arsenic a three-week merchandise successful its theaters, a business that helped nan movie make astir $300 cardinal globally successful its first 10 days successful cinemas.

More than 20% of that haul came from IMAX screenings. In nan U.S. and Canada, nan company’s theaters person accounted for 25% of each home summons income for nan film. That feat is made moreover much awesome by nan truth that IMAX screens correspond little than 1% of nan full movie screens worldwide.

Two different films released this twelvemonth person exceeded 20% marketplace stock for nan institution — Warner Bros.′ “Sinners” and Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.”

It’s a motion of spot for IMAX’s spot successful nan quickly evolving movie industry.

Michael B. Jordan arsenic Smoke and Stack successful “Sinners."Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

IMAX has agelong been a coveted destination for theatrical releases, but arsenic user tastes proceed to displacement toward premium experiences, it’s quickly gaining marketplace stock and poised for exponential maturation successful nan coming years.

CEO Rich Gelfond is forecasting a $1.2 cardinal twelvemonth astatine nan world container for nan company, which would beryllium 33% higher than 2024′s haul and a grounds for nan 55-year-old business. Wall Street analysts expect 2026 will beryllium moreover better.

“Post-pandemic a batch of activities, particularly arena activities, person really done good [for] premium brands,” Gelfond told CNBC. “You look astatine concerts, summons prices went up. Premium seats person gone up. You look astatine sporting events, aforesaid benignant of thing. Broadway. I deliberation people, though they bask staying astatine home, streaming and watching streaming products, erstwhile they spell retired of nan home, they want thing capable distinguished from that.”

Investors person rallied down IMAX stock. Shares of nan institution are up astir 60% successful nan past 12 months.

IMAX screens are notably larger than modular movie screens and nan theaters characteristic immersive audio systems. The institution doesn’t conscionable surface movies, galore of nan films that look successful IMAX were changeable utilizing cameras and exertion developed by nan institution specifically tailored to nan IMAX viewing experience.

“This year, we person 8 movies successful a statement successful North America that were filmed pinch IMAX cameras, and typically nan container agency goes higher erstwhile you sprout pinch nan cameras,” Gelfond said. “And there’s a mates reasons for that. One, it’s a amended measurement of watching it and listening to it. But also, nan filmmakers typically get down it more, and they show their audiences that it’s nan champion measurement to spot their work. And I deliberation that’s a powerful impetus for audiences to spell to IMAX.”

These “filmed for IMAX” titles see features for illustration Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” films and moreover nan latest “Mission: Impossible” flick from Tom Cruise.

Tickets to spot a movie successful IMAX typically costs a fewer dollars much than modular movie tickets, which tin thief to boost a container agency haul.

“The much ‘filmed for IMAX’ titles, nan much outperformance you seen connected nan movie for IMAX titles,” said Alicia Reese, expert astatine Wedbush. “The amended nan margins are going to be. As you spot margins amended successful 2025, you’re going to spot not conscionable amended value title signings successful 2026, but what I expect to spot is that nan studios will return much ownership of nan trading campaigns pinch moreover greater upside.”

Roth’s Eric Handler said that IMAX has a “high-class problem of excessively overmuch contented availability.”

The “F1” woody for 3 weeks of surface programming meant that Universal’s “Jurassic World Rebirth” sewage edged out: nan film missed retired connected a home IMAX release and was only featured connected IMAX screens successful China. That movie will besides look successful IMAX screens successful Japan adjacent month.

Domestically, nan movie slate is beardown is 2025 and 2026, pinch a number of awesome franchise movie releases connected nan books. Warner Bros.′ “Superman” hits theaters Friday, and coming soon is Disney and Marvel’s “Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Then Universal’s “Wicked: For Good” arrives up of nan Thanksgiving vacation and Disney’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” hits theaters conscionable earlier Christmas.

2026 kicks disconnected pinch Amazon’s “Project Hail Mary” and will besides characteristic a caller Avengers film, nan first theatrical Star Wars merchandise since 2019, a sequel to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” a live-action “Moana” arsenic good arsenic “Toy Story 5″ and “Shrek 5.” And besides successful nan operation is Nolan’s adjacent characteristic movie “The Odyssey.”

New Hollywood releases are conscionable 1 portion of IMAX’s container agency success.

“Not only are they benefiting from Hollywood’s recovery, they’re besides taking advantage of nan world footprint and showing section connection movies successful China, successful Japan and South Korea and parts of Europe,” said Eric Handler, expert astatine Roth.

He noted that “Ne Zha 2,” a Chinese merchandise that has generated much than $2 cardinal successful world summons sales, was a peculiarly beardown section connection movie for IMAX. The institution generated astir $170 cardinal successful receipts from screening nan film.

And there’s still room for IMAX to grow.

The institution presently has astir 1,700 screens worldwide, astir 400 of which are successful North America. Gelfond told CNBC that nan institution has contracts to build astir 500 much IMAX screens.

He said nan institution would stock much circumstantial specifications during its net report, which is owed to beryllium released later this month.

“We signed almost arsenic galore caller theaters this twelvemonth arsenic we signed for nan full twelvemonth past year,” Gelfond said. “So there’s a batch of growth.”

Disclosure: Comcast is nan genitor institution of NBCUniversal and CNBC.