IMAX is More than Just a Bigger Screen, You Morons
Thomas Buckley
There haven't been too many bright spots in recent years for the movie theater business, but one of them is clearly IMAX. So you know what that means? Time to snuff it out:
Some of the largest US theater chains, including Cinemark, Regal and Marcus, have held preliminary talks about jointly marketing their big-screen theaters to blunt the growing influence of Imax Corp. within the movie industry and the public, according to people familiar with the matter.
The talks so far have focused on setting shared standards for the chains’ “premium large-format” theaters to better compete with Imax’s giant screens, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The chains have a number of options, the people said. One is to unite around a new brand name for their premium format. Another would be to keep their premium brands and add an industrywide designation that would act as a stamp of approval for their locations. It’s also possible they do nothing and maintain their current ties with Imax.
Do you ever get the sense that these theater chains think that IMAX is simply a larger screen? Granted, it's a literal big part and the most forward-facing aspect, but there's quite a bit more that goes into IMAX – from the making of the movies to editing of them to the selecting of them to the marketing of them. With that in mind, just "throwing up a big ass screen" isn't likely a good strategy to compete.
Some chains are alarmed by the growing presence of Imax in Hollywood advertising — including posters in their own lobbies that feature the brand as prominently as movie titles. Imax licenses its technology to theaters and has about 372 US locations — a fraction of the screens nationwide. Yet it consistently generates more than 10% of the box office for blockbusters.
Are you kidding me? They should be thanking IMAX for this. This is a business in secular decline, don't let the constant touting of box office "records" fool you. Look at the number of butts in seats. This is not a growth business. But IMAX smartly took the approach of going higher end (with higher prices). Offering up something consumers simply cannot match at home. The theater chains have largely chosen to go lower end (with higher prices). Keeping people home. This isn't rocket science – unless you run a giant movie theater chain, apparently.
Displacing Imax would be a tall order: The company has spent half a century refining its technology and building its brand. It has attracted marquee filmmakers — including Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan, Dune director Denis Villeneuve and Sinners director Ryan Coogler — to shoot their films using Imax cameras.
Are they suggesting Christopher Nolan's next movie isn't going to be shot for the 4DXX format with Smell-o-vision? I bet they could convince Denis Villeneuve to do a fourth Dune. I mean 'Dune 4DXX ' is so close I can smell it.
There could be financial benefits for theaters, including less money going to Imax for licensing its technology, the people said. The chains have also discussed among themselves the possibility of asking studios to help market any new brand they might adopt.Representatives of Cinemark Holdings Inc., Marcus Corp., Regal Cineworld and Imax all declined to comment. AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., the largest chain and biggest operator of Imax screens in the US, isn’t participating in the deliberations, according to the people.
How bad are things? AMC – AMC! – is the voice of reason here. The chain last seen trying to shove more ads on screens before a movie starts to try to blunt any notion of a comeback for the box office. Surely there's a memecoin to be minted here somewhere...
Meanwhile, while I made up the branding for the theaters would-be IMAX killer tech, I must admit, what they're actually using right now is far worse:
Cinemark’s company-branded big screens are called XD, while Regal’s are dubbed RPX and Marcus’ MT-X. They are typically 70 feet wide, or more, and taller than those found at traditional theaters. Some come with premium sound systems and seats that move. They resonate with fans, who will often pay 30% more for seats.
'XD' sounds like a PC you'd buy from Dell in the 90s. The cheap-o version. 'RPX' sounds like a shitty motocross competitor. 'MT-X' sounds like a vehicle the Empire uses in Star Wars. "They resonate with fans, who will often pay 30% more for seats," is just an incredible rationalization.
Despite those troubles, Imax is set to score its best year for box-office revenue in 2025 on the back of movie marketing campaigns that carry taglines like “Filmed For Imax.”
Cinema owners who don’t have Imax screens have bristled at receiving film posters from major Hollywood studios with taglines such as “See it in Imax,” the people said.
These are marketed that way because it actually resonates with consumers. This get butts in seats. If you don't have such seats, that's definitely a problem, but not one you solve by pretending IMAX doesn't exist.
Another source of tension is the deal that Imax struck to release Netflix Inc.’s film based on C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia in late 2026, the people said. The Greta Gerwig-directed film will run for two weeks exclusively on Imax screens before being released on the streaming service.
Some theater owners are in revolt because Netflix has largely shunned theatrical releases. Its co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos has criticized theaters as an inefficient distribution model. Speaking at an industry event earlier this year, Regal CEO Eduardo Acuna wouldn’t commit to playing the Narnia movie in his theaters even though his circuit operates Imax screens, arguing that two weeks is too short a period to draw a significant number of moviegoers.
Yeah boo-hoo. Why is Netflix going with IMAX? Well, because Greta Gerwig made them. But why are they okay with going with IMAX here? Because it's something you still literally can't compete with at home. For basically every other screen, that's simply not true. And it's not just because the screens are larger. It's because of the IMAX cameras and post-production process and vetting process. Are Cinemark and Regal going to replicate all of that too? Of course not, because such things cost money. Money they wouldn't spend even if they had it.
So here's a far easier idea: improve your actual theaters. Make them the movie palaces of old, not dirty dark rooms with screens often smaller than what people have at home now. My god, what morons.
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler
M.G. Siegler