At a time when nothing appears sure on the field workplace, one factor can’t be argued: IMAX is extra necessary than it is ever been. The corporate, which affords a large-screen, premium expertise to moviegoers, has been round for many years however has change into an more and more essential piece of the puzzle for giant films in recent times. To that finish, IMAX simply had its greatest yr ever — and it is solely anticipated to get greater in 2026 and past.
In a press launch, IMAX revealed that it took in a report $1.28 billion globally on the field workplace in 2025. $449 million of that got here from home ticket gross sales, up 14% from the earlier report set in 2023. For context, the home field workplace didn’t cross the $9 billion mark in 2025, totaling $8.87 billion. Which means IMAX accounted for five% of general ticket gross sales, regardless of having simply 1% of the overall display depend globally. Wealthy Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, had this to say in a press release:
“2025 was actually a transformational yr for IMAX through which we leveled up our efficiency throughout our enterprise — capturing a larger share of whole field workplace with a greater variety of releases throughout an increasing international footprint. We see no indicators of slowing down given a really promising slate forward and the consistency of our market share positive aspects, as filmmakers, studios, and audiences worldwide proceed to gravitate towards the IMAX Expertise.”
IMAX’s success was a shiny spot in an in any other case tough yr. The 2025 summer time field workplace did not meet expectations, superhero films continued to point out indicators of damage because the Marvel Cinematic Universe fell farther from grace, and theaters suffered a number of dry spells whereas ready for some much-needed peaks, which turned fewer and additional between.
IMAX and premium format screens are the way forward for moviegoing
The highest films for IMAX in 2025 had been the huge $2 billion Chinese language animated hit “Ne Zha 2” ($166.7 million), “Avatar: Hearth and Ash” ($112 million), “F1” ($97.6 million), “Demon Slayer: Infinity Fortress” ($95.9 million), and “Mission: Inconceivable — The Closing Reckoning” ($75.8 million). Within the case of “F1,” that represents almost 16% of its whole field workplace, which is massively important. Equally, “The Closing Reckoning” earned almost 13% of its cash from IMAX screens.
IMAX is now estimating that 2026 income will climb to $1.4 billion, pushed by tentpoles like “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia,” “Dune: Half Three,” and “Michael,” amongst others.
Ultimately, nearly all of 2025’s greatest films benefited drastically from IMAX, save for “Jurassic World Rebirth,” which needed to forgo an IMAX launch for scheduling causes. The corporate has roughly 1,800 screens world wide, and people screens are highly-coveted, with studios reserving spots nicely prematurely. Common even started promoting tickets for IMAX screenings of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” a full yr forward of time.
What these numbers reveal is that audiences are keen to pay extra for a premium expertise once they do select to go to the films. A part of the issue is that IMAX is a scarce useful resource. That, nonetheless, has opened the door for premium format opponents comparable to Dolby Cinema to swoop in. Total, premium format screens are quickly turning into key to the way forward for the cinematic expertise, with IMAX clearly main the cost in that division. Audiences search these screens out for the precise movie, be it an anime characteristic or a big-budget blockbuster from a beloved director. Due to this, IMAX has carved out its place within the quickly evolving way forward for the film enterprise.
