The Odyssey sends IMAX to its biggest quarter yet
IMAX reported record third-quarter revenue, profit and box office after The Odyssey became its highest-grossing release on the company’s screens. The company also expects to beat its full-year box-office target.
IMAX reported record revenue, net income and global box office for the third quarter of 2026 on November 5, with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey generating more than $550 million in IMAX ticket sales. Variety reported that the film became the company’s highest-grossing release on its screens, helping lift the cinema technology company’s quarterly revenue 64% from a year earlier.
The results put IMAX’s reported revenue at $174.6 million for the three months, compared with $106.7 million in the same quarter of 2025. Net income climbed to $117.1 million from $22.6 million. Adjusted earnings per share rose to $2.21, up from 47 cents; The Hollywood Reporter also reported adjusted EBITDA of $121 million, a 133% increase and another quarterly record.
How The Odyssey lifted IMAX box office
Global box office on IMAX screens reached a reported $712 million in the quarter, up 94% from $368 million a year earlier. The Odyssey contributed more than $550 million worldwide, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Variety put that at 30% of the movie’s $1.8 billion worldwide haul.
The film also surpassed Avatar, which had held IMAX’s previous release record with $271 million in ticket sales on the company’s screens in 2009. Variety noted that the comparison is not adjusted for inflation. The Odyssey was the first feature shot entirely with IMAX cameras, Variety reported; other major films use the technology for selected sequences.
Revenue growth and IMAX’s expansion plans
The company’s revenue reflected growth across two reported business lines. Content solutions revenue increased 110% to $94 million, while technology products and services revenue rose 28% to $77 million, The Hollywood Reporter said. IMAX CFO Natasha Fernandes told analysts that the results showed “significant operating leverage” and an opportunity as the network expands and box office grows.
IMAX said it had signed agreements for 105 theater systems worldwide so far in 2026. Variety reported that 65% of the agreements were for new locations. The company also forecast that it would exceed its full-year guidance of $1.4 billion in global box office. That is a forecast; IMAX set a $1.2 billion global box-office record in 2025, according to Variety.
The Hollywood Reporter reported $30 million in presales for Dune: Part Three, which it described as IMAX’s second-highest presales total ever. Chief executive Rich Gelfond also pointed to a 13-theater agreement in Europe that was expected to close shortly. The company’s reported expansion deals and coming releases frame its outlook, while the quarter’s revenue and ticket sales are the results already reported.
Read in depth: Entertainment
Fatburger after Undercover Boss: employee feedback and a major deal
Andy Wiederhorn described Fatburger’s employee-recognition response after his 2013 episode. Seven years later, its parent company completed a Johnny Rockets acquisition amid...
The Cube creator Adam Adler joins Channel 4: what he will do at its new production unit
Adler is Sarah Dillistone’s first hire for Channel 4’s in-house production business, which the broadcaster says will develop ideas for television and beyond.
Sources and context
- ‘The Odyssey’ Takes Imax to Biggest Quarterly Revenue to DateVariety
- Imax Posts Record Revenue, Profit Growth With ‘The Odyssey’ in Third QuarterThe Hollywood Reporter
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.