Imax is seeing a surge in global box office based on a mix of Hollywood and foreign local, language titles and other alternative fare to drive revenue and profit gains, judging by the film technologies company’s third quarter financial results unveiled on Thursday.
Lifted by Hollywood’s ongoing recovery at the multiplex, Imax posted a 50 percent rise in global box office to $368 million during the third quarter, against a year-earlier $239 million.
Imax did big business with the Japanese anime hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and a super-sized F1: The Movie, which marked the film technologies company’s highest grossing Hollywood release of 2025 to date. A diversified movie slate during the third quarter included concert films like The Grateful Dead Movie and David Gilmour Concert, Hollywood re-releases for Jaws and Apollo 13 and live-streamed events like Dead & Company and Spinal Tap II.
The company pointed to theatrical momentum in the fourth quarter expected from an upcoming slate that includes Avatar: Fire and Ash anchoring the holiday season with a carry over into the new year, Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2, The Running Man and Predator: Badlands. And into 2026, Imax has The Odyssey, Narnia, Dune Part Three and The Mandalorian and Grogu coming as major audience draws.
During the latest quarter, Imax saw revenue rise 17 percent to $106.7 million, compared to $91.5 million in the year-ago period. Net income rose 48 percent to $22.6 million, compared to a year-earlier $15.3 million. The adjusted earnings per-share hit 47 cents, against a year-earlier 35 cents.
“We continue to deliver results that exceed expectations and transcend the broader marketplace – thanks in large part to our unique, diversified global content portfolio spanning Hollywood, local language, music and more,” Imax CEO Rich Gelfond said in a statement that accompanied the release of his latest financial results.
During a morning analyst call, Gelfond touted Imax as more than a provider of premium theatrical screens to becoming a platform for varied and global event content to distinguish itself from the broader exhibition industry. “And that diversified portfolio, and the marketing prowess of the Imax brand as a beacon of must-see theatricality, make us more valuable to our studio and exhibition partners than ever,” he argued.
That diversified movie and content strategy is also helping grow theater sales and installations, Gelfond added. During the latest quarter, content solutions revenue rose 49 percent to $44.8 million in the third quarter, driven by the rise in global box office, while technology products and services revenue increased 4 percent to $60.4 million.
International films continue to account for bigger slice of Imax global box office, with local language box office this year standing at $343 million through September, up 40 percent from the previous year’s pacing.
Year-to-date, local language accounts for 36 percent of Imax global box office, compared to under 20 percent over the same time period year ago. “As we look ahead to the stretch run of the year, the slate is significantly stronger than last year’s strike-depleted offering,” Gelfond told analysts, underpinned in part by Imax rounding out its slate with music, sports, gaming and exclusive experiences.
Imax reiterated it expected a record $1.2 billion in global box office in 2025.