IMAX has reported its highest-grossing first quarter box office yet, taking in $298 million (+12% from last year). This achievement was fueled by a record-breaking Lunar New Year holiday — triple the large format theater’s previous record with $182M — and the phenomenal success of Chinese animated feature Ne Zha 2.
Already the highest-grossing animated feature of all time and the first to surpass $2 billion, among other notable box-office records, Ne Zha 2 (Coco Cartoon / Beijing Enlight) has raked in more than $164M through IMAX alone, making it the company’s most successful local-language animated film and its biggest China release ever.
Other top performers in IMAX’s Q1 include Captain America: Brave New World ($27M), Mickey 17 ($11M) and the rerelease of Interstellar ($10M). Overall revenue rose 10% to $87M, beating Wall Street predictions by nearly $3M.
This year will see a record number of “filmed for IMAX” release. Eight titles filmed with IMAX cameras will roll out, kicking off with Sinners, which this weekend took the domestic box office crown from viral kids’ flick A Minecraft Movie. IMAX expects to turn around $1.2 billion in global box office in 2025. The company has signed up 95 new and upgraded screening systems around the world in Q1.
[Source: Deadline]
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