IMAX Stock Jumps 8% as 'The Odyssey' Smashes Box Office Records
IMAX shares soared after Nolan's 'The Odyssey' broke records, easing fears about reaching $1.4 billion in ticket sales this year.
Ever wondered how a movie theater company makes investors excited? Right now, IMAX is a perfect example — thanks to a blockbuster film that's crushing records.
IMAX shares jumped more than 8% on Thursday after the company said it's still on track to hit a record $1.4 billion in global ticket sales (called "box office") this year. (Shares are small pieces of ownership in a company — when investors are optimistic, they buy more, pushing the price up.)
Earlier, Wall Street (a nickname for the U.S. financial and investing world) had worried IMAX might miss that target after a big Netflix movie, "Narnia," was delayed to 2027. But Christopher Nolan's new film "The Odyssey" is calming those fears.
Here's why the numbers impressed investors:
- "The Odyssey" earned $52 million for IMAX in its opening weekend
- IMAX has less than 1% of all movie screens but captured 20% of the film's worldwide debut
- The opening was 47% bigger than Nolan's previous hit "Oppenheimer"
- On Tuesday alone it made $10.6 million — the best Tuesday ever for IMAX
More big films are coming, which should keep the momentum going. These include "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," a new "Resident Evil," "Street Fighter," and — capping the year — "Dune: Part Three." The last Dune film alone earned $147 million globally for IMAX.
IMAX is also expanding fast. It installed 38 new systems worldwide in the second quarter — its most in a decade — and has a backlog of 421 contracts to build more screens.
The bottom line: A single hit movie can dramatically boost a company's outlook and stock price. IMAX believes its best days are ahead, calling this "an incredibly exciting time for our business."
This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/23/the-odyssey-imax-ticket-sales-revenue.html