IMAX Corporation has laid out an ambitious global growth strategy highlighted in its February 2026 Investor Presentation for Q4 2025, with India identified as a crucial component of this expansion plan. The quarterly report reveals key insights into the company’s future directions and strategic pivots, underlining the importance of localized content in one of the fastest-growing theatrical markets worldwide.
Currently, IMAX operates 1,796 commercial multiplexes in 91 countries and territories, securing over 50% of the global premium format market share. What distinguishes India is its robust content ecosystem, where approximately 90% of the box office revenue from IMAX cinemas originates from local-language films. This structural reality has prompted IMAX to pursue partnerships aimed at increasing the variety and number of Indian-language titles available in IMAX format, signaling a significant shift toward localization.
The effectiveness of IMAX’s local-language initiative is becoming evident, with the company reporting $405 million in global local-language box office revenue in 2025, surpassing the previous all-time record by 66%. As the company anticipates the release of 75 local-language titles worldwide in 2026, India is expected to play a pivotal role in this endeavor. High-profile Indian films, such as Ramayana Part 1 and Toxic, are among the upcoming titles set for IMAX distribution, reflecting the company’s deeper alignment with large-scale Indian cinema.
Financially, IMAX enters 2026 on solid ground, having achieved a record $1.28 billion in global box office sales in 2025, a significant 40% increase from the prior year. The company anticipates an approximate $1.4 billion in box office revenue for 2026, indicating that the strong performance in established markets will provide operational leverage beneficial for expansion initiatives, particularly in India.
Another noteworthy aspect of IMAX’s strategy is its collaboration with major streaming platforms to “eventize” content for theatrical release. Partnerships with industry leaders such as Apple, Amazon, and Netflix underscore IMAX’s shift towards serving as a premium content launch platform instead of a competitor in the streaming space. The upcoming IMAX-exclusive run of Greta Gerwig’s Narnia and Apple’s live-streaming of Formula 1 races highlight this strategic approach, although it remains uncertain whether these events will be accessible to Indian audiences in IMAX.
