Aug 10, 2026 · 45 min
IMAX turns scarce screens into a film-industry advantage
Is IMAX a Screaming Buy? With Rich Gelfond
The conversation examines whether IMAX’s filmmaker relationships, premium economics, and visible pipeline can sustain growth despite unpredictable movie-by-movie results.
- 1IMAX protects filmmaker commitments and secures projects early, creating unusual visibility into its future film and theater pipeline.
- 2Premium pricing remains a balancing act between demand, attendance, utilization, and margins rather than a simple ticket-price increase.
- 3Alternative content and streamer partnerships help make IMAX a destination beyond Hollywood’s biggest conventional releases.
Don't miss
Gelfond details how IMAX worked with Christopher Nolan on cameras, projection equipment, parts distribution, and projectionist training.
The brief
Rich Gelfond, IMAX’s CEO, explains how a company representing a small share of global screens became a premium destination through filmmaker and studio relationships.
The Oppenheimer and Dune scheduling conflicts reveal IMAX’s central tension: protecting long-term filmmaker trust while managing scarce screens and major studio demands.
IMAX secures projects years before release, sometimes before distribution is settled, giving it visibility into a committed slate while leaving individual box-office results uncertain.
The business case extends beyond Hollywood: concerts, sports, anime, international films, re-releases, and streamer collaborations can fill theatrical gaps and create events.
Gelfond’s Christopher Nolan discussion shows how IMAX can shape filmmaking itself, from cameras and projection equipment to parts distribution and projectionist training.
The episode’s broader claim is that IMAX is selling a destination and a production ecosystem, not simply a larger screen or a higher-priced ticket.
Featuring
Richard L. Gelfond
IMAX
Christopher NolanBooks & mentions
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