By As part of a massive new interview with Collider, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond and CSO Giovanni Dolci have announced plans for the next six years for the company which includes major expansions into international territories currently underserved by the exhibition giant.
Dolci says an analysis of the total addressable market in ideal conditions has allowed them to see huge growth opportunities over the next six years or so, with as many as 3,300-something screens potentially available across the globe – a number “almost double” the existing network assuming ideal conditions.
One big target will be markets with little to no IMAX penetration – such as Australia which has only two across the entire country – one in Melbourne and one in Sydney. The latter was the biggest IMAX screen in the world when operating but was shut down in the mid-2010s and only re-opened last year with a more modern facility (but slightly smaller screen).
Dolci says they plan to expand aggressively Down Under, saying their analysis suggests that in the next five years they can “get to almost 40 theaters in Australia in ideal conditions. I think it’s very realistic. The exact number, I believe, is 39.”
Asked if those are in development or is this just hopeful business talk, he says: “No, no, it’s more than a hope. It’s what we think the market can sustain and what, based on our experience in comparable markets, we believe that IMAX can become in that particular market.”
He adds that “we have very active discussions at the moment with a number of Australian exhibitors to deploy IMAX theaters. It’s an exercise, of course, to identify the right locations.
He also says he’s very confident that later this year will come announcements of “future developments in Australia that will take us closer to that number and will set the basis for future deployment there.”
Dolci adds his three favorite IMAXs in the world right now are the BFI IMAX in London, Grand Cinema Sunshine in Tokyo, and the aforementioned IMAX Sydney.
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