IMAX Corporation is an innovator in entertainment technology, combining proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a whole new world. Here, RLI sits down with Giovanni Dolci, Global Chief Sales Officer of IMAX Corporation and Member of the Board at IMAX Theatres to discuss the global growth of the company.
Specialising in motion-picture technologies and large-format presentations, IMAX Corporation has been leading the way in immersive theatre experiences for over fifty years. Headquartered in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto with additional offices in London, Moscow, Tokyo and Shanghai, the company has continued, even in the midst of adversity to create unforgettable movie-going experiences.
Today the business has almost 1,700 theatres operating in 87 markets around the world. Within the portfolio, around 1,600 are commercial IMAX theatres positioned within multiplexes and these focus on feature films. The remainder of the portfolio are destination and institutional theatres, typically located in museums and science centres, representing a part of the heritage of IMAX who originally operated in these spaces before branching out.
Operating in so many markets meant that even at the height of the coronavirus outbreak there were only a handful of days where every location was closed. However, the onset of the pandemic did mean they had to reinvent themselves in unusual times.
Germany
“Of course there were periods when no films were being released globally, so we decided to pivot and focus more on local content,” explains Giovanni Dolci, Global Chief Sales Officer of IMAX Corporation and Member of the Board at IMAX Theatres. “This truly made a difference in difficult times, and allowed us to continue filling our schedule and offering content to audiences in those markets where cinemas were open, and where it was safe to go to theatres.”
Despite the difficulties in the film industry across the world, IMAX continued forward with expansion in 2021 and opened some truly unique and world-class locations. On 30 September, the largest IMAX in the world opened at the Traumpalast Multiplex in Leonberg, Germany. The screen, which measures 21.03 metres high by 38.16 metres wide, is incredibly wider than a standard Boeing 737 and really highlights the power of IMAX and the power of cinema in a way guests will not have witnessed before.
Serbia
The launch of the largest cinema theatre in Serbia at the Cineplexx Galerija Belgrade took place in 2020 and last year saw the unveiling of the first-ever IMAX theatre in Cannes at the recently opened Cineum Cannes. The site in Cannes is of particular importance to Giovanni and the company, as for decades Cannes has been a fulcrum of the film industry. “Being able to offer the IMAX experience here is very important and we are going to be leveraging this site in collaboration with our partners for events, activations and to show people that cinema is alive like never before,” explains Dolci.
His role at IMAX Corporation is to continue the growth of the company and to ensure that IMAX becomes more and more the place to be for unique fan experiences and the screens to see new content across the globe. Dolci feels there is scope for more growth in Japan, which has become one of their key markets after the launch of their new flagship location, Grand Cinema Sunshine in downtown metropolitan Tokyo. He goes on to say that China carries on delivering extraordinary results and offers incredible growth opportunities, whilst in countries such as Saudi Arabia opportunities are appearing that had not previously been available.
Finland
“When I look at the cinema industry for the coming year, I am extremely excited for the future as we are coming off the back of an incredible few months of performance. For example, Spider-Man: No Way Home crossed the $100M threshold in IMAX box office takings, which is only the 11th title in our history to do so. Now with the incredible slate of films coming up in 2022, we have much to be excited about,” Dolci explains.
This evidence suggests that cinema is still an experience many people will leave their homes for, and IMAX will strive to offer guests something extraordinary and carry on raising the bar for theatre lovers.
“At IMAX, we have been exploring new and unique content experiences for audiences, such as a partnership with Apple around the tragedy of Macbeth, we had a partnership with Amazon to screen Kanye West and Drake’s concert, and we are currently working on an exciting event which aims at showing the Beatles’ famous rooftop concert. We are doing a lot of work on content to make sure we stay as relevant as possible and as exciting as we can for our audiences,” says Dolci.
Switzerland
As our time with Giovanni nears its end, he concludes the interview by talking about the upcoming release schedule, and how titles like Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar 2 will be key releases for IMAX, and that this year there are an unprecedented number of titles that have been shot with IMAX cameras which is an exciting facet for the company as it allows them to heighten the differentiation of their theatres for fans.
“I am looking towards a bright future and feel that we all need to be resilient moving forward no matter what the future holds. We are seeing businesses bounce back and people getting on with their lives and to what they love doing and I think we need to capitalise on this and use it as a base for a thriving tomorrow.”
