After a record-breaking summer season, Imax swung to its best-ever revenue and profits for the third quarter of 2026.
Fueled by Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” the company’s highest grossing release of all time, Imax logged $175 million in revenue during Q3, up 64% from the $106.7 million reported in the same three-month period in 2025. Imax reported a net income of $117.1 million, a staggering 400% increase from $22.6 million a year earlier. Meanwhile, adjusted earnings per share rose to $2.21, up 370% from 47 cents in the comparable year-ago period.
As the industry enjoyed the biggest summer in post-pandemic times, Imax’s worldwide box office tally for Q3 stood at $712 million, towering 94% above the $368 million posted a year ago. On Imax screens, “The Odyssey” alone surpassed $550 million worldwide in the three-month period — representing 30% of the movie’s staggering $1.8 billion total haul. Those ticket sales crushed the company’s prior record-holder, 2009’s “Avatar,” with $271 million, not adjusted for inflation.
“The Odyssey” was a juggernaut on the company’s screens in part because it was the first feature shot entirely with Imax film cameras. (Other tentpoles have incorporated Imax’s technology for select sequences.) This quarter’s other top-earning titles for Imax were “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Resident Evil” and “Avengers Endgame Encore.”
“What Imax achieved goes beyond simply a ‘great quarter’ and transcends the many records we shattered in the period,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax. ”What we believe we are witnessing is an awakening to the power and potential of our platform to impact global culture, unlock new commercial opportunities, and inspire a new level of demand and awe in audiences around the world.”
Imax has been a true commercial draw in recent years, with audiences gravitating toward the big and bright screens to distinguish from the experience of watching a movie from the couch. Given the increased consumer demand, Imax continues to to expand its global footprint, signings agreements for over 100 systems worldwide to date in 2026 — 65% of which are for new locations. With blockbusters like “Dune: Part Three” and “Avengers: Doomsday” (which is only playing in Imax in China) on schedule in December, Imax expects to exceed earlier projections of $1.4 billion in 2026. Last year, the company set a new record with $1.2 billion globally.
“We are excited for the year ahead and confident in our belief that there has never been a better time to be in the Imax business. This ‘Imax awakening’ sits inside a bigger culture shift of people around the world — particularly young people — seeking connection, community, and shared experiences that feel bigger than any one person’s screen,” Gelfond said. “Imax has always delivered these moments, and we believe this trend has only begun to benefit our business.”
