IMAX Exploring Potential Sale Amid Strong 2025 Box Office Growth

According to The Wall Street Journal, IMAX is exploring a potential sale and has "approached entertainment companies as potential buyers." 

The Journal added that the sale is in the "early stages" and "may not result in a deal." 

Following the close on Thursday, the company's shares jumped 10% in extended trading. CNBC reported that a "source familiar with the company" said it has held "preliminary talks through intermediaries." 

That said, there haven't been any official pitches. 

CNBC also noted that its source said the company's longtime bankers "occasionally test the waters for potential interest." 

Recently, IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond returned to work after taking a medical leave of absence while battling pneumonia. In December 2025, Gelfond mentioned that a potential sale of the company was possible. 

IMAX Explores Potential Sale Opportunities

At the company's "investor day," Gelfond said that IMAX is “an incredibly valuable player, either as a wholly differentiated publicly-traded company or as part of a larger company with the keys to unlock even greater value and our strong business worldwide.”

“We’re very excited about all of those possibilities. And we’re going to run our business to maximize value in every possible way,” he added.

IMAX Continues Strong Box Office Growth

According to CNBC, IMAX generated $1.28 billion at the global box office in 2025. That was more than a 40% increase over 2024 and 13% higher than the previous record set in 2019. 

Also, CNBC noted that premium large-format (PLF) screens continue to grow in popularity, saying that PLF screens account for 16.3% of domestic tickets sold, with an average price of $16.88 per ticket. In 2021, the average ticket sold was $15.42, so the $16.88 figure represents a 14% increase.

To add more financial figures, Reuters mentions that in the first quarter, IMAX reported a 6% drop in revenue to $81.4 million, but beat the analyst expectations of $80.28 million. 

IMAX Continues Strong Box Office Growth

In related cinema news, AMC movie theaters recently agreed to a deal with Arena One ot host live concert experiences, with Maren Morris, Bebe Rexha, and Paris Hilton to be some of the first to test out the new product coming off Beyoncé's "Renaissance" and Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour".