Latest news with #Imax
Bloomberg
14 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Imax China CEO on Tariffs, Ne Zha 2 Impact
Imax China is aggressively adding screens across the country, betting on big local and US productions to boost its sales. Partner Wanda Film, China's largest movie exhibitor, is planning to replace 27 premium format screens with Imax's larger high-tech jumbo screens. In a wide-ranging conversation, Bloomberg's Stephen Engle discusses the impact of the trade war and Ne Zha 2 with CEO Daniel Manwaring. (Source: Bloomberg)
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Imax adds China screens with Wanda, betting on blockbusters
Imax Corp.'s Chinese arm is aggressively adding screens across the country, betting on big local and US productions to boost its sales in the world's second-largest film market. Partner Wanda Film Holding Co., China's largest movie exhibitor, is planning to replace 27 premium format screens with Imax's larger high-tech jumbo screens in cities from Beijing to Xi'an, the companies said Monday. Imax China Holding Inc., which currently runs about 800 screens in China, drew a record 22 million moviegoers from January to May, up 106% from a year earlier, largely thanks to fantasy film 'Ne Zha 2.' The overall movie attendance in China rose about 27% in the same period, the firm said. Wanda operates more than 50% of China's Imax screens, Li Jinbo, assistant president of Wanda Film and general manager of Wanda's cinema chain, said at a corporate event in Shanghai. The cinema chain is seeking to boost the number of premium format auditoriums across the country, he said. Shares of Wanda Film rose 3.6%, while Imax China advanced 4.6%. China's movie industry has been facing a boom-and-bust cycle as many new titles produced during the pandemic years weren't released until 2023, raising box office sales to $7.7 billion. The following year, box office sales fell by 23%. While 'Ne Zha 2' has boosted ticket sales this year, film executives have raised concerns that other new titles may be hit by waning demand. Imax, however, is projecting that its attendance will keep growing as consumers seek larger screens to watch big productions with friends and family. 'If people choose to go to movie theaters, they're going to have to have a clear reason why,' Daniel Manwaring, head of Imax China, said in Shanghai. 'Is this a movie that deserves my time and money? Imax is the only company that is answering that question head-on. We guarantee the experience.' This summer, Imax is counting on Chinese and Hollywood titles such as the war epic 'Dongji Rescue,' directed by Guan Hu and Fei Zhenxiang, Universal Pictures' 'Jurassic World Rebirth' and Apple Inc.'s 'F1.' Walt Disney Co.'s 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' is expected to be released on Imax screens late this year. Imax China is also planning to release five local films shot on Imax cameras. Out of 73 films released on Imax screens in China last year, 34 were local, including at least two movies shot for Imax, according to the company. The company is seeking to maintain the balance between local and foreign films being released on its screens, Manwaring said. 'The film business needs to make movies sensational and big,' he said. 'At least in China, I am very optimistic about the long-term moviegoing audience.' Kim writes for Bloomberg.
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Six Nations production company and Laurier University explore plans for new hub
A Six Nations production company and Laurier University are in talks to revitalize a storied building in downtown Brantford. RedDoor Collective and the school are coming together to 'explore' a global Indigenous innovation centre and immersive shared reality cinemas (an experience that makes audience members feel like a part of what they're watching, like an Imax movie) in downtown Brantford, according to a joint media release. 'We envision a platform for Indigenous youth, creators, researchers and entrepreneurs, bringing together academics, industry leaders and community organizations to cocreate new models of success,' RedDoor Collective founder Gary Joseph said in the release. The idea includes a state-of-the-art sound stage the size of two basketball courts, and a cinema sharing 'immersive' and 'interactive' Indigenous storytelling that is 'grounded in community,' the release said. One Market Street was at one time the site of a trading post. An 'official decree' said it was to remain 'a free and open market' for Six Nations of the Grand River and Brantford settlers, according to the Laurier website. However, the land was expropriated and turned into a shopping mall. In 2014, Laurier University bought it from the City of Brantford. The 300,000-square-foot building is now home to a student commons with social and study spaces, classrooms, offices and student services. The university previously said it is 'mindful of the complex history' of the land and is 'working towards restoring mutual benefit as part of its commitment to reconciliation and Indigeneity.' This has included MarketFest, a free public marketplace of Indigenous vendors and celebration of 'contemporary Indigenous thinkers, makers and musicians,' the university said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Straits Times
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
‘The Matrix is everywhere': Cinema bets on immersion
Attendees watching an extended screen of the character Neo's bullet time during the first shared reality screening of The Matrix inside Cosm Los Angeles. PHOTO: AFP INGLEWOOD, United States – In a Los Angeles theatre, a trench coat-wearing Neo bends backwards to dodge bullets that spiral over the viewer's head, as the sound of gunfire erupts from everywhere. This new immersive experience is designed to be a red-pill moment that will get film fans off their couches at a time when the movie industry is desperate to bring back audiences. Cosm, which has venues in Los Angeles and Dallas, is launching its dome-style screen and 3D sets in June with a 'shared reality' version of The Matrix, the cult 1999 film starring Canadian actor Keanu Reeves as a man who suddenly learns his world is a fiction. 'We believe the future will be more immersive and more experiential,' said Cosm president Jeb Terry at a recent preview screening. 'It's trying to create an additive, a new experience, ideally non-cannibalistic, so that the industry can continue to thrive across all formats.' Cinema audiences were already dwindling when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, shuttering theatres at a time when streaming was exploding. With ever bigger and better TVs available for the home, the challenge for theatre owners is to offer something that movie buffs cannot get in their living room. Prestige projects such as Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) or Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning Oppenheimer (2023) increasingly opt for the huge screens and superior film quality of Imax. But Cosm and other projects like it want to go one step further, collaborating with designers who have worked with contemporary circus producer Cirque du Soleil to create an environment in which the viewer feels like he or she is inside the film. For film-makers, it is all about how you place the cameras and where you capture the sound, said Jay Rinsky, founder of Little Cinema, a creative studio specialising in immersive experiences. 'We create sets like the Parisian opera, let the movie be the singer, follow the tone, highlight the emotions... through light, through production design, through 3D environments,' he said. The approach, he added, felt particularly well suited to The Matrix, which he called 'a masterpiece of cinema, but done as a rectangle'. For the uninitiated: Reeves' Neo is a computer hacker who starts poking around in a life that does not quite seem to fit. A mysterious man portrayed by American actor Laurence Fishburne offers him a blue pill that will leave him where he is or a red pill that will show him he is a slave, whose body is being farmed by artificial intelligence machines while his consciousness lives in a computer simulation. There follows much gunfire, lots of martial arts and some mysticism, along with a romance between Neo and Trinity, played by Canadian actress Carrie-Anne Moss. Attendees watch an opening sequence during the first shared reality screening of The Matrix on an immersive dome screen at Cosm Los Angeles. PHOTO: AFP The Matrix in shared reality kicks off with a choice of cocktails – blue or red, of course – which are consumed as the audience sits surrounded by high-definition screens. Shifting perspectives place the viewer inside Neo's office cubicle or seemingly in peril. 'They're sometimes inside the character's head,' said Rinsky. 'The world changes as you look up and down for trucks coming at you.' The result impressed those who were at the preview screening. 'It did feel like an experience,' said influencer Vince Rossi. 'It felt like you're at a theme park for a movie almost.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Times
Tom Cruise's ‘Mission Impossible' tops China box office
[SEOUL] Tom Cruise's film is back on top in China. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning posted the biggest opening for a US film in the country this year, defying trade and geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing. Paramount Global's eighth instalment in the action franchise earned US$25.2 million across 11,847 locations in China during the opening weekend, the studio said. The film has become the top-performing US release in the country for 2025, surpassing Warner Bros Entertainment's A Minecraft Movie which raised US$29 million since its Apr 4 debut, according to ticketing platform Maoyan. While the Final Reckoning opening is comparable to its 2023 predecessor, the latest film's performance stands out in a year when most US titles have struggled to gain traction in China. Minecraft opened with US$14.5 million, while Walt Disney's Thunderbolts and Lilo & Stitch brought in US$10.5 million and US$8.7 million, respectively, on opening weekend. Tickets for larger Imax screens accounted for 19 per cent of Final Reckoning's total box office revenue, Imax China said. That marked the highest Imax share ever for the franchise on both opening day and opening weekend, the company said. The solid performance of Cruise's new film, which he's said will be his last Mission: Impossible, suggests that Hollywood pictures have withstood rising tensions between the world's two largest economies. In April, Beijing said it would 'moderately reduce' the number of US films allowed into the market as part of a broader response to trade friction. While initial negotiations between Washington and Beijing began shortly after, talks have since stalled. The Mission: Impossible series, starring Cruise as secret agent Ethan Hunt, has long been emblematic of China's enthusiasm for Hollywood. In 2018 – when US films reached a peak share of the Chinese market – the sixth instalment of the franchise opened to around US$77 million in China. But that momentum slowed after the first Trump administration sparked off a trade clash, leading to fewer releases and diminished returns. Under the Chinese government's national agenda to boost consumption, China has been gradually allowing more foreign films in an effort to help stimulate spending while moviegoers are visiting theatres at malls. Imax China said its upcoming slate features several high-profile releases, including the fantasy epic How to Train Your Dragon by DreamWorks Animation and dinosaur adventure Jurassic World: Rebirth by Comcast's Universal Pictures as well as Warner Bros' Superman. BLOOMBERG
