Agamemnon and Odysseus from The Odyssey.
Source: Universal Pictures
Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is a box office success imax And it’s giving investors more confidence that the company will hit record ticket sales in 2026.
IMAX stock soared more than 8% on Thursday after the company announced it was still on track to achieve a record $1.4 billion in global box office revenue this year. Wall Street was worried about that. Netflix And Greta Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia has been pushed back from its November release date to February 2027, but IMAX won’t be able to reach that milestone.
universal “Odyssey” alleviates such concerns. During its opening weekend, the film earned $52 million at the global Imax box office. Although the company’s locations accounted for less than 1% of all screens, they accounted for a whopping 20% of the film’s world premiere.
The opening of “The Odyssey” was 47% higher than Nolan’s previous film, “Oppenheimer.” The biopic grossed more than $190 million through Imax during its 2023 run.
And Odyssey shows little sign of slowing down. The film secured an additional $11 million on Monday and $10.6 million on Tuesday, according to Imax CEO Rich Gelfond, who spoke to investors on an earnings call Thursday. This was the company’s best Tuesday performance ever.
“The second weekend presale alone will be one of the largest opening weekends in our history,” he said. “These numbers help prove that we are still getting ready.”
Still coming to Imax screens around the world this year are: sony and Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” Zack Creger’s interpretation of “Resident Evil.” Tom Cruise’s latest film “Digger”. “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, is based on “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” directed by “Godzilla Minus Zero” and Quentin Tarantino. and Paramount’s “Street Fighter”.
after that warner bros And Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 3 closes out the year. The first Dune movie grossed $61 million in Imax theaters at the end of the pandemic, and Dune: Part 2 secured $147 million worldwide.
“Our momentum continues to translate into demand from our exhibition partners,” Gelfond said.
The company installed 38 Imax systems worldwide in the second quarter, up from 36 in the same period last year. Imax Chief Financial Officer Natasha Fernandez told investors on Thursday’s earnings call that this was the highest installation number for the second quarter in a decade. With 19 systems installed in the first quarter, the company is on pace to install 160 to 175 systems by the end of 2026.
Imax currently has 421 contracts remaining to build screens.
“We continue to make great strides toward global expansion and continue to innovate in ways that further enhance the value of Imax for creators, studios, exhibitors and audiences alike,” said Gelfond. “This is an incredibly exciting time for our business.”
Correction: This article has been corrected to reflect that “Godzilla Minus Zero” is among the movies coming to Imax screens this year. A previous version incorrectly listed the name of the movie.
