IMAX Breaks Records with Summer Blockbusters

Labor Day typically marks the end of summer. In May, License Global covered the potential return of the summer blockbuster movie, and our August issue took a closer look at kids’ blockbuster films. And while this year served up some flops and disappointments (we’re looking at you, “Flash” and “Haunted Mansion”), there were huge wins.  

IMAX Corporation has seen impressive gains all summer long. IMAX (short for “image maximum”) is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors and theaters known for having huge screens with a tall aspect ratio and steep stadium seating available only in a few locations.  

In May, IMAX Corporation rocketed to a $25 million debut for Disney/Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” at the global box office for its opening weekend. Led by a $10.7 million draw in North America, the film also delivered the highest grossing IMAX debut of the trilogy.  

June saw the debut for Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” reach an impressive $20 million at the global box office. In a sign of the surging popularity of animation across the IMAX global network, the sequel delivered the second-biggest animated opening of all time. 

In July, IMAX captured 10.6% of worldwide box office for Paramount Pictures’ “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” That was the best global opening ever for actor Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible” franchise, with a $25 million worldwide debut. 

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” delivered a massive $35 million debut on only 740 IMAX screens worldwide. Shot with IMAX Film Cameras, Universal Pictures’ “Oppenheimer” set several IMAX records at launch, including: 

Obviously, the biggest summer success story has been “Barbie.” So far, “Barbie” has earned over $1.34 billion worldwide and is the biggest global-earning Warner Bros. movie ever. And, as License Global reported last month, that success has led to impressive growth in retail.  

It seems likely that “Barbie” will also garner similar success when it hits IMAX theaters for a limited engagement beginning Sept. 22. As a treat for IMAX audiences only, a special greeting from director, Greta Gerwig, will play before the film, and exclusive post-credits footage, selected by Gerwig, will follow.  

“We really wanted to super-serve all the fans out there who made this the Summer of ‘Barbie’ in every way imaginable, and we couldn’t think of a better way than to serve up the biggest film of 2023 and the biggest Warner Bros. film of all time on the biggest, most experiential screens around,” say Jeff Goldstein, president, domestic distribution, and Andrew Cripps, president, international distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, in a joint statement. “Thanks to our terrific partners at IMAX and our incredible director, Greta Gerwig, we went a step further and are offering audiences an added incentive with this special post-credits footage. We encourage moviegoers everywhere, whether they’ve seen ‘Barbie’ or not, to see it in IMAX for a can’t-miss moment in film history.” 

Tickets are on sale for the limited one-week run of “Barbie” in IMAX, beginning Sept. 22 on IMAX screens across North America and in select international markets.