Imax just had a $1-billion year. Why 2026 looks to be even bigger

Imax is having a moment. More than 50 years aft debuting astatine the 1970 Osaka world’s just with the 17-minute experimental movie “Tiger Child,” the format has go the ascendant king of spectacle. Today, Imax counts 1,829 screens successful 89 countries — conscionable 1% of theaters — yet makes up an progressively captious portion of the theatrical container office, with 50% marketplace stock maturation since 2018 and an estimated $1.2-billion instrumentality successful 2025. And the institution shows nary signs of slowing down.

“As agelong arsenic determination are filmmakers who are fans arsenic good arsenic studios who are fans, we’re going to marque a difference,” says Chief Executive Richard Gelfond, who acquired the institution successful 1994 with concern spouse Bradley Wechsler.

Breaking into mainstream Hollywood didn’t travel easy. For decades Imax films were mostly documentaries, often astir abstraction exploration, quality oregon discoveries, with systems installed successful museums and subject centers. The flash constituent came successful 2008 with Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” which featured 28 minutes filmed with Imax 70mm cameras. Film buff and manufacture contented creator Lizzy Gonzalez vividly remembers erstwhile the Joker (Heath Ledger) unmasks himself during the chaotic slope heist. “It was my earliest Imax experience, and my jaw dropped successful awe,” she says. Ever since, she’s been hooked, admitting the premium format is “the lone legit movie acquisition that immerses you successful the story.”

Directors are present leaning in, with the “Filmed for Imax” (FFI) lineup expanding to 14 titles successful 2025 — doubling past year’s total. The programme lets filmmakers sprout with Imax cameras oregon different approved cameras and provides further accumulation support, specified arsenic a longer model with the instrumentality and much publicity during release. “In erstwhile years, Imax utilized to bash astir 10% of the container bureau successful North America, but [with] FFI movies we’ve averaged astir 15%. It means much dollars to whoever makes them and much nett to the studio,” says Gelfond.

Regina Hall successful “One Battle After Another.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Not each movies exhibited successful Imax formats are changeable nether the FFI banner — indeed, from James Cameron’s archetypal “Avatar” to Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” the bulk of Imax releases are alternatively enhanced utilizing integer media remastering. But movies that instrumentality vantage of FFI, including “Sinners,” “Superman” and “F1,” are seeing box-office benefits and a palpable moviegoing experience.

“Today’s audiences are searching for an affectional connection; they privation to consciousness something, to measurement wrong the filmmaker’s vision. That’s precisely what we wanted to springiness them by shooting successful 65mm Imax,” says “Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who was the archetypal pistillate to sprout successful the format. “When you beryllium successful a acheronian theatre and instrumentality successful a afloat 1.43:1, 15-perf Imax image, it fills your tract of view, and you yet recognize what cinema tin be.”

Claudio Miranda, the cinematographer down Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick” and “F1,” agrees. “For me, Imax is each astir immersion. It brings audiences much into the movie than immoderate different format, surrounding them from the north, south, eastbound and westbound with the film, which is needed for a communicative of the size and scope of ‘F1.’ Joe and I run nether the shared knowing that audiences respond much viscerally to a movie that’s been changeable authentically, and they tin consciousness it successful their bones if it’s not. So we gravitate towards telling immersive, quality stories.”

Imax is improving method capabilities too, including a caller Imax 70mm movie camera strategy nicknamed “The Keighley” successful grant of precocious Chief Quality Officer David Keighley, who oversaw hundreds of Imax projects. Its astir important betterment is reduced noise. The erstwhile exemplary was bulky, dense and notoriously loud. Thanks to the quieter design, Nolan’s “The Odyssey” volition go the archetypal theatrical movie changeable wholly connected Imax movie cameras, thing helium couldn’t execute connected “Oppenheimer” owed to dependable issues.

“Brad Pitt” successful “F1.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic has already caused a stir, arsenic astir Imax tickets sold retired a twelvemonth earlier its merchandise adjacent July. Imax superfan Shane Short, who saw “Oppenheimer” 132 times and erstwhile sat adjacent to Arkapaw during a screening of “Sinners,” says it’s a bully thing. “What truly pulls maine into movies is the affectional facet erstwhile connecting with something. For me, it’s hard to get that successful a mean theater. Imax is genuinely the eventual immersive acquisition that draws maine in.”

Of course, Imax is not the lone big-screen crippled successful town. There’s AMC Prime, Cinemark XD, Regal RPX, Dolby Cinema, Real3D and 4DX, to sanction a few. All stock 1 happening successful common: an other premium for a ticket. “The upcharges for a batch of radical are worthy it,” says Comscore elder media expert Paul Dergarabedian. “When you spell into Imax oregon different premium formats, it’s truly astir the dependable and imaginativeness coming together. And for the close movie, the close screen, fans who don’t spell to the movies each time are going to splurge.”

How overmuch that volition outgo audiences going guardant is near up to theaters. “By mode of our agreement, it’s not our spot to get involved,” says Gelfond astir pricing. “We judge determination could beryllium much elasticity if it’s a large release, but again, it’s up to the exhibitor.” Any denotation of a terms compression connected consumers volition apt aboveground successful the adjacent 2 years with the forthcoming “Project Hail Mary,” “Supergirl,” “The Batman: Part Two” and “Dune: Part Three,” for which manager Denis Villeneuve changeable scenes utilizing the caller Imax 70mm cameras.

Our guess? Start redeeming now.