Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, discusses the success of 'Oppenheimer', China release, moviegoing shift to premium experiences, potential buyers for IMAX, and partnerships in the streaming industry.
IMAX's success during the pandemic is attributed to the demand for premium experiences and its unique event-like atmosphere.
The success of 'Oppenheimer' highlights IMAX's ability to enhance visuals and provide a unique viewing experience beyond big action sequences.
Deep dives
IMAX's Success During the Pandemic
IMAX has seen great success during the pandemic, outperforming the box office as a whole. The CEO, Rich Gelfon, attributes this to the demand for premium and niche experiences, with IMAX providing a unique event-like atmosphere. Despite challenges like the strike and film delays, IMAX remains optimistic about its global revenue and expects 2023 to be comparable to 2019.
Success of 'Oppenheimer' in IMAX
'Oppenheimer', a three-hour biopic directed by Chris Nolan and shot with IMAX cameras, has been a big hit for IMAX. It has already earned $154 million on IMAX screens alone. The film's success highlights the power of IMAX to enhance visuals and provide a unique viewing experience beyond big action sequences. IMAX expects to continue its partnership with top directors like Nolan to bring more successful movies to their theaters.
IMAX's Growth Strategy and Potential Acquisition
IMAX is focused on global expansion and diversifying its offerings. It has seen success with local language films in markets like China, Japan, and India. IMAX is also exploring ancillary content like concerts and live events. While IMAX is not actively looking to be acquired, the CEO believes a technology company like Apple could be a good fit due to IMAX's technology-driven approach and marketing value.
Matt is joined by the CEO of IMAX, Rich Gelfond, to discuss the impressive success of ‘Oppenheimer’ in IMAX theaters, its opening in China this week, the decision to give ‘Oppenheimer’ IMAX exclusivity over ‘Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One,’ whether moviegoing will continue to skew more toward premium experiences like IMAX, and whether Apple should buy IMAX.
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