IMAX Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2020 Results

NEW YORK, July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --  

HIGHLIGHTS

• 409 IMAX® theaters reopened in China over the July 24th weekend. The Company now has 624 theaters or approximately 40% of its global network generating revenue and is ready to benefit from an IMAX-friendly slate
• A strong balance sheet, with $319 million in consolidated cash as of June 30, 2020, and an amended credit agreement, with covenant flexibilty through Q3 2021, positions the Company well to manage through the ongoing COVID-19 related challenges
• Cost reduction measures taken at the outset of the pandemic reduced the Company's average monthly cash burn to approximately $10 million, as demonstrated by the second quarter and in line with previous guidance
• IMAX signed agreements to add 29 theater systems, headlined by the international 17-theater CGV and 10-theater Wanda deals, demonstrating continued global demand for The IMAX Experience® from existing partners in established markets
• As a result of the global pandemic, second quarter 2020 revenue decreased 92% versus 2019 to $8.9 million. Second quarter 2020 net (loss) attributable to common shareholders was ($26) million. Non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA (loss) was ($18.5) million versus $41.4 million in the prior-year period

IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX) today reported second quarter 2020 revenues of $8.9 million, gross margin (loss) of ($7.7) million, and a net (loss) attributable to common shareholders of ($26.0) million, or ($0.44) per diluted share. For reconciliations of reported results to non-GAAP financial results, please see the end of this press release.

Results in the second quarter reflect the closure of substantially all of the theaters in the Company's global network driven by the Coronavirus pandemic. These closures reduced IMAX Technology Network and IMAX Maintenance revenue to essentially zero and caused a margin loss for the quarter. During the second quarter, the Company accrued $3.2 million in payroll subsidies and tax credits from the Canadian and US governments as part of their COVID-19 relief programs which benefitted SG&A expense, cost of sales, and R&D expense.

"As the only global theatrical platform for blockbuster entertainment, IMAX is uniquely advantaged as theaters begin to reopen on a rolling basis throughout the world. Our model gives us the flexibility to reopen where safe, program locally relevant content to maximize revenues, and play a leadership role as the industry returns," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond.

"We are seeing early signs of progress, with approximately 40% of our global network currently generating revenue. This includes 409 IMAX® theaters in China, which are scheduled to debut Hollywood and local language films over the coming weeks. Additionally, the South Korean blockbuster "Peninsula" continues to perform well across markets in Asia and Europe, drawing $26.5 million in global box office despite capacity limitations and highlighting solid demand among moviegoers in lower-risk markets worldwide."

"We believe that our solid financial position gives IMAX the strength to be ready as the rest of our network comes back online. At the end of the second quarter, the Company had $319 million in consolidated cash and recently amended its credit agreement for increased financial flexibility through September 2021."

"We continue to look ahead to an exceptionally strong slate through 2021, as studios affirm their commitment to the theatrical release by rescheduling their key blockbuster titles. Additionally, major global exhibitors continue to underscore the value of The IMAX Experience, with new agreements including a 10-theatre deal with Wanda Film in China and a multinational 17-theatre deal with CGV."

"We remain unwavering in our stance that the health and safety of audiences must be the priority as theaters reopen and we support by the work of local governments and our partners to put public health first."

Second Quarter and June Year-to-Date Segment Results⁽¹⁾

IMAX Technology Network

• IMAX Technology Network revenues decreased 99% to $0.4 million in the second quarter of 2020, compared to $64.8 million in the prior-year period. The closure of the Company's network due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacted results.
• Margin (loss) for the IMAX Technology Network was ($6.5) million in the second quarter of 2020 and was driven by the lack of revenue and ongoing fixed costs associated with our installed IMAX network.

 IMAX Technology Sales and Maintenance

• IMAX Technology Sales and Maintenance revenues decreased 87% to $4.6 million in the second quarter of 2020, compared with $34.8 million in the prior year period. Seven fewer sales type lease installations principally resulted in lower IMAX system revenue. IMAX maintenance revenue declined to nil as regular maintenance services were suspended due to the COVID-19 theater closures.
• Total gross margin for IMAX Technology Sales and Maintenance was $0.2 million compared to $15.4 million in the prior year period. Lower revenue was partially offset by the shift in certain overhead costs from cost of sales to SG&A.

Cash Balances and Outstanding Debt

Total cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2020 were $319 million. Total debt was $300.2 million as of June 30, 2020.

Share Count and Capital Return

• The weighted average diluted shares outstanding at the end of the second quarter of 2020 declined 4.4% to 58.8 million, compared to 61.5 million in the second quarter of 2019, due primarily to share repurchase activity during the twelve-month period. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company did not repurchase any stock. A total of $89.4 million remains available under the Company's outstanding share repurchase authorization, which was extended in June and now expires in June 2021.
• During the second quarter of 2020, IMAX China repurchased a total of 423 thousand shares at an average price of $1.50 for a total value of approximately $640 thousand.

Supplemental Materials

For more information about the Company's results, please refer to the IMAX Investor Relations website located at investors.imax.com.

Investor Relations Website and Social Media

On a weekly basis, the Company posts quarter-to-date box office results on the IMAX Investor Relations website located at investors.imax.com. The Company expects to provide such updates on Friday of each week, although the Company may change this timing without notice. Results will be displayed with a one-week lag.

The information posted on the Company's corporate and Investor Relations website may be deemed material to investors. Accordingly, investors, media and others interested in the Company should monitor the Company's website in addition to the Company's press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call today at 4:30PM ET to discuss its second quarter 2020 financial results. This call is being webcast by PGI and can be accessed at investors.imax.com. To access the call via telephone, interested parties in the US and Canada should dial (800) 367-2403 approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the call begins. Other international callers should dial (647) 490-5367. The conference ID for the call is 9071085. A replay of the call will be available via webcast at investors.imax.com or via telephone by dialing (888) 203-1112 (US and Canada), or (647) 436-0148 (international). The Conference ID for the telephone replay is 9071085.

About IMAX Corporation

IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theaters to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles, with additional offices in London, Dublin, Tokyo, and Shanghai. As of June 30, 2020, there were 1,615 IMAX theater systems (1,527 commercial multiplexes, 13 commercial destinations, 75 institutional) operating in 81 countries and territories. Shares of IMAX China Holding, Inc., a subsidiary of IMAX Corporation, trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "HK.1970."

IMAX®, IMAX® Dome, IMAX® 3D, IMAX® 3D Dome, Experience It In IMAX®, The IMAX Experience®, An IMAX Experience®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, IMAX DMR®, DMR®, IMAX nXos® and Films to the Fullest^®, are trademarks and trade names of the Company or its subsidiaries that are registered or otherwise protected under laws of various jurisdictions. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/imax), Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

For additional information please contact:

Forward-Looking Statements

This earnings release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Important factors that could affect these statements include, but are not limited to, references to future capital expenditures (including the amount and nature thereof), business and technology strategies and measures to implement strategies, competitive strengths, goals, expansion and growth of business, operations and technology, plans and references to the future success of IMAX Corporation together with its consolidated subsidiaries (the "Company") and expectations regarding the Company's future operating, financial and technological results. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will conform with the expectations and predictions of the Company is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks associated with investments and operations in foreign jurisdictions and any future international expansion, including those related to economic, political and regulatory policies of local governments and laws and policies of the United States and Canada; risks related to the Company's growth and operations in China; the performance of IMAX DMR^® films; the signing of theater system agreements; conditions, changes and developments in the commercial exhibition industry; risks related to currency fluctuations; the potential impact of increased competition in the markets within which the Company operates; competitive actions by other companies; the failure to respond to change and advancements in digital technology; risks relating to recent consolidation among commercial exhibitors and studios; risks related to new business initiatives; conditions in the in-home and out-of-home entertainment industries; the opportunities (or lack thereof) that may be presented to and pursued by the Company; risks related to cyber-security and data privacy; risks related to the Company's inability to protect the Company's intellectual property; general economic, market or business conditions; the failure to convert theater system backlog into revenue; changes in laws or regulations; the failure to fully realize the projected cost savings and benefits from any of the Company's restructuring initiatives; the impact of COVID-19 on our financial condition and results of operations and on the businesses of our customers and exhibitor partners;  and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These factors, other risks and uncertainties and financial details are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Primary Reporting Groups

The Company has the following reportable segments: (i) IMAX DMR; (ii) Joint Revenue Sharing Arrangements; (iii) IMAX Systems, (iv) IMAX Maintenance; (v) Other Theater Business; (vi) New Business Initiatives; (vii) Film Distribution; and (viii) Film Post-production. The Company organizes its reportable segments into the following four categories, identified by the nature of the product sold or service provided:

IMAX CORPORATION
OTHER INFORMATION
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)

Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

In this release, the Company presents adjusted net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders and adjusted net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders per diluted share, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA per Credit Facility, Adjusted EBITDA margin, and free cash flow as supplemental measures of the Company's performance, which are not recognized under U.S. GAAP. Adjusted net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders and adjusted net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders per diluted share exclude, where applicable: (i) share-based compensation; (ii) exit costs, restructuring charges and associated impairments, (iii) changes in the fair value of equity investments, (iv) COVID-19 government relief benefits, as well as the related tax impact of these adjustments, and (v) the income tax effects related to the removal of the indefinitely reinvested assertion on the historical earnings of certain subsidiaries.

The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are important supplemental measures that allow management and users of the Company's financial statements to view operating trends and analyze controllable operating performance on a comparable basis between periods without the after-tax impact of share-based compensation and certain unusual items included in net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders. Although share-based compensation is an important aspect of the Company's employee and executive compensation packages, it is a non-cash expense and is excluded from certain internal business performance measures.

In addition to the non-GAAP financial measures discussed above, management also uses "EBITDA," as such term is defined in the Credit Agreement, and which is referred to herein as "Adjusted EBITDA per Credit Facility." As allowed by the Credit Agreement, Adjusted EBITDA per Credit Facility includes adjustments in addition to the exclusion of interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Accordingly, this non-GAAP financial measure is presented to allow a more comprehensive analysis of the Company's operating performance and to provide additional information with respect to the Company's compliance against its Credit Agreement requirements in the current period, if applicable. In addition, the Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA per Credit Facility presents relevant and useful information widely used by analysts, investors and other interested parties in the Company's industry to evaluate, assess and benchmark the Company's results.

EBITDA is defined as net (loss) income excluding (i) interest expense, net of interest income; (ii) income tax (benefit) expense; and (iii) depreciation and amortization, including film asset amortization. Adjusted EBITDA per Credit Facility is defined as EBITDA excluding: (i) share-based and other non-cash compensation; (ii) gain (loss) in fair value of equity investment; (iii) write-downs, net of recoveries, including asset impairments and credit loss expense; (iv) gain (loss) from equity accounted investment; (v) exit costs, restructuring charges and associated impairments; (vi) legal arbitration award; and (vii) executive transition costs.

Free cash flow is defined as cash provided by operating activities minus cash used in investing activities (from the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows). Cash provided by operating activities consist of net (loss) income, plus depreciation and amortization, plus the change in deferred income taxes, plus other non-cash items, plus changes in working capital, less investment in film assets, plus other changes in operating assets and liabilities. Cash used in investing activities includes capital expenditures, acquisitions and other cash used in investing activities. Management views free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure, as a measure of the Company's after-tax cash flow available to reduce debt, add to cash balances, and fund other financing activities. Free cash flow does not represent residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures. A reconciliation of cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow is presented below.

These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled amounts reported by other companies. Additionally, the non-GAAP financial measures used by the Company should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, the comparable GAAP amounts. A reconciliation of each of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is presented below.

SOURCE IMAX Corporation

Related Links

http://www.imax.com