One Cannes ritual is IMAX CEO Rich Helfond’s annual press lunch. IMAX is thriving in the global marketplace, with more than 1,700 screens in 90 countries, as audiences continue to recognize and embrace the global brand for giant film and digital cameras and big-screen formats. Helfand announced the company’s upcoming 2025 filmed for IMAX slate (below) while at Cannes, which he believes will break records for the company. Thanks to IMAX believer Chris Nolan‘s global blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” IMAX performed at peak capacity with over $1 billion in revenue in 2023, matching the company’s 2019 pre-pandemic record.
IMAX delivered 20% of the global box office for “Oppenheimer” — shot entirely with IMAX film
cameras — and more than $190 million worldwide, making it the fifth highest grossing IMAX film
of all time. IMAX also delivered 21% of the global box office for “Dune: Part Two” — shot entirely with IMAX-certified digital cameras — and over $145 million worldwide, making it the seventh highest
grossing IMAX film of all time. And IMAX delivered 5.9% of the domestic box office in the first quarter of 2024 — the company’s highest quarterly market share ever in North America — and 3.4% of global box office.
At Cannes, Helfon and his team met with Francis Ford Coppola and committed to giving “Megalopolis” a limited IMAX release, no matter who the distributor turns out to be. The movie premieres Thursday night. “We need to do more research, ” said Helfond, “but the movie will play to cinephiles and Coppola fans.”
And while 2024 numbers are down at the North American box office due to strikes and delayed production, Helfond expects both 2025 and 2026 to break IMAX records and restore faith in theatergoing. A record of at least 14 Hollywood and international releases shot with IMAX cameras are set to hit the IMAX global platform next year.
North America is not reflective of the rest of the world, where the box office in Southeast Asia, China, and India is going gangbusters. European box office is helter skelter, depending on the country. But global theater chains like Cinepolis are thriving. Cinemark is run well. Regal is coming out of bankruptcy. And AMC just raised $250 million to stay afloat.
Filmmakers like Nolan and stars like Tom Cruise drive their studios to embrace IMAX. “Mission: Impossible 8” bookings were spearheaded by Cruise. While any film that uses IMAX cameras is guaranteed two weeks play, Cruise negotiated three. It’s an incentive to get filmmakers to use either the film or new digital cameras, which are in the process of being modified and improved.
IMAX also has documentaries and music films in the pipeline. They worked with Mercury Records on a vintage Queen doc ($5 million in one weekend) and with Disney on a Beach Boys non-fiction entry, will debut flying doc “Blue Angels” in partnership with Amazon. And following the success of A24’s IMAX release “Stop Making Sense,” two Wednesdays every month, they show an A24 classic in IMAX.
Also coming up: IMAX will show the Olympic opening night live on its screens around the world.
Here’s the 2025 filmed-for-IMAX slate, with dates subject to change. Additional titles to be confirmed at a later date.
- “Captain America: Brave New World” (Disney/Marvel), Feb 15
- Untitled Ryan Coogler/Michael B. Jordan film (WB), Mar 7
- “Thunderbolts*” (Disney/Marvel), May 2
- “Flowervale Street” (WB), May 16
- “Mission: Impossible 8” (Paramount), May 23
- “How To Train Your Dragon” (Universal), Jun 13
“Untitled Formula One” (Apple/Distributor TBC), Jun 27 - “Superman: Legacy” (WB/DC), Jul 11
- “The Fantastic Four” (Disney/Marvel), Jul 25
- “Mercy” (MGM/Amazon), Aug 15
- “The Bride!” (WB), Oct 3
- “TRON: Ares” (Disney), Oct 10
- “Blade” (Disney/Marvel), Nov 7
- Chinese New Year, title TBC, w/o Jan 29
