IMAX Steals the Spotlight While Traditional Movie Chains Face Box Office Blues
While mainstream cinema operators struggle to keep seats filled, IMAXIMAX packed a full house. The movie theatre operator jumped 44% in 2025 as audiences leaned into premium, event-style experiences they still see as worth paying for. Meanwhile, AMCAMC collapsed over 60%, Marcus TheatresMCS fell ~28%, and CinemarkCNK slid 25% as traditional chains struggled to justify higher prices with shrinking, undifferentiated offerings.
- IMAX delivered a record $1.28B in global box office revenue in 2025, up 40% from 2024 and 13% above its pre-pandemic 2019 peak.
- Premium large-format tickets now make up over 16% of US sales in 2025, up from 13.8% two years ago, cementing PLF as the fastest-growing slice of moviegoing.
Savoring the moment: Traditional chains are squeezed by high real estate costs, heavy debt, and revenue splits with studios, leaving them reliant on concessions to survive. IMAX’s asset-light model, which installs its tech in partner theaters and takes a share of the box office, helped generate a 67% increase in net income through the first nine months of 2025. With IMAX-shot releases like The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three set to release soon, the company is projecting a $1.4B box-office record in 2026.