LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) today announced that Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel opened in IMAX® theatres this weekend with a $36.1 million global debut, becoming IMAX's fifth biggest opening of all-time and the first non-sequel film to crack the top five. The film also represented IMAX's best March opening and the second highest Marvel opening for IMAX globally. With this weekend's results, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has now crossed $1 billion in IMAX box office.
In the United States, Captain Marvel grossed $14.1 million on 411 IMAX screens marking IMAX's second biggest March opening. 9 of the Top 10 grossing theatres were IMAX locations.
"IMAX is honored to be part of the spectacular performance of Captain Marvel, the biggest superhero origin story opening in IMAX history that has earned its rank among the highest-grossing IMAX openings ever," said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. "Captain Marvel marks an incredible start to what is shaping up to be a very strong 2019 lineup and sets the stage for the highly anticipated Avengers: Endgame, which was shot entirely with IMAX® cameras."
International IMAX weekend results for the film reached $22 million from 964 international sites and set new records including IMAX's best international Marvel opening and IMAX's second biggest international opening of all-time. In China alone, IMAX reported $10.4 million from 603 screens representing IMAX's biggest March opening in the market. 9 of the top 10 Captain Marvel locations in China were IMAX theatres. The film also delivered all-time biggest IMAX openings in 12 international territories, including Germany, Ukraine, India and Puerto Rico. The film is scheduled to open in Japan on March 15.
"Congratulations to directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, and to Kevin Feige and teams Disney and Marvel on a monumental opening that showcases the multiple powers of women," said Megan Colligan, President, IMAX Entertainment and Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. "We believe this weekend's results are a clear indication that audiences around the world continue to seek out the biggest blockbuster events in the differentiated IMAX format."
Captain Marvel featured select scenes specially formatted for IMAX theatres with an expanded aspect ratio, which means audiences get to see up to 26% more picture than standard theatres, only in IMAX.
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About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with additional offices in London, Dublin, Tokyo, and Shanghai. As of December 31, 2018, there were 1,505 IMAX theatre systems (1,409 commercial multiplexes, 14 commercial destinations, 82 institutional) operating in 80 countries. On Oct. 8, 2015, shares of IMAX China, a subsidiary of IMAX Corp., began trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "HK.1970."
IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAX nXos® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).
This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
