IMAX® Soars To Best Year Ever At Global Box Office, Grossing More Than $1.035 Billion Worldwide

Strong, Diverse Global Slate Shatters Records Across Global, International, China, and Local Language Films

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Dec 19, 2019, 09:35 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX^® Corporation (NYSE: IMAX), an innovator in entertainment technology, today announced it has soared to its highest-grossing year ever at the global box office in 2019 with more than $1.035 billion earned to date worldwide and two weeks left to go.*

The record-breaking performance surpassed the company's previous best of $1.032 billion set in 2018 and marks the second consecutive year it has crossed $1 billion in total receipts. With two weeks remaining in the year and this week's release of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," IMAX will continue to build on its box office grosses for 2019.

"In an entertainment landscape where people enjoy more choice than ever, demand for The IMAX Experience^® around the world has never been greater," said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. "Fans worldwide are increasingly seeking out immersive entertainment experiences and IMAX is uniquely positioned to deliver through our technology, scale, and powerful relationships with world-class creators."

New IMAX Records Set in 2019

IMAX's globally diverse slate of Hollywood and local language blockbusters lifted the Company to several new records in 2019, including its highest-grossing year ever for international, China, and local language films, as well as several record-breaking openings worldwide.

Significant milestones include*:

Record International Box Office (excluding China): $368.6 million
Record Local Language Box Office: $124.3 million
Record Box Office in China: $341 million
Record Box Office in 22 countries and territories year to date, including China, India, Japan, France, Germany and more

Additionally, IMAX scored its best-ever opening weekend worldwide and highest-grossing release in China with "Avengers: Endgame." The Company also achieved its number-one and two highest-grossing local language releases in China with "Wandering Earth" and "Ne Zha," respectively. In Japan, the Company had its highest-grossing release with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and highest-grossing local language release with "Weathering With You."

Five of the top ten highest-grossing IMAX films in 2019 to date featured IMAX DNA, meaning they were either filmed in IMAX or featured IMAX expanded aspect ratio to deliver up to 26% more picture. In 2020, at least five blockbuster releases were filmed in IMAX — including "No Time to Die," "Wonder Woman: 1984," "Top Gun: Maverick," "Tenet," and "Detective Chinatown 3" — which will mark another new record for the Company.

*All figures reflect box office results through Tuesday, December 17, 2019

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 theatres 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 September 30, 2019, there were 1,568 IMAX theatre systems (1,473 commercial multiplexes, 14 commercial destinations, 81 institutional) operating in 81 countries and territories. On October 8, 2015, shares of IMAX China Holding, Inc., a subsidiary of IMAX Corporation, began trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "HK.1970."

IMAX^®, IMAX^® 3D, IMAX DMR^®, Experience It In IMAX^®, An IMAX 3D Experience^®, The IMAX Experience^®, IMAX Is Believing^® and IMAX nXos^® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).