Imax's Record-Breaking 2025: A Year of Global Box Office Triumphs
Imax (https://deadline.com/tag/imax/) closed out 2025 with a remarkable $1.28 billion in worldwide box office revenue, marking its best year ever and a 40% increase from the previous year. This achievement is even more impressive considering that two of its top five films for the year, Ne Zha 2 (https://deadline.com/tag/ne-zha-2/) ($167 million) and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle ($95.9 million), were non-Hollywood productions. The remaining three were Avatar: Fire and Ash (https://deadline.com/tag/avatar-fire-and-ash/) ($112 million), F1: The Movie ($97.6 million), and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning ($75.8 million).
Imax's global box office grew by 40% year-over-year, surpassing its previous record set in 2019 by a significant 13%. This growth was evident across all three major box office regions: North America, China, and international markets, as well as in 35 countries and territories worldwide. Imax's success in 2025 was a result of its strategic expansion and diverse content offerings, solidifying its position as a leading player in the film industry.
CEO Rich Gelfond attributed Imax's success to its transformative year, stating, '2025 was truly a transformational year for Imax, where we elevated our performance across our business, capturing a greater share of the total box office with a wider variety of releases across an expanding global footprint.' He added, 'We see no signs of slowing down, given our promising slate ahead and the consistency of our market share gains, as filmmakers, studios, and audiences worldwide continue to gravitate toward the Imax experience.'
Imax's key metrics for 2025 were impressive, including a best domestic box office of $449 million (up 14% from 2023), a best rest of world international box office of $427 million (up 2% from 2023), and a best China box office of $407 million (up 5% from 2019). Imax also achieved its biggest global market share of 3.8% from over 1,800 locations, a best local language box office of $405 million worldwide (up 65% from 2023), and record box office in 35 countries and territories, with standout performances in Japan, Germany, India, Australia, and Southeast Asia. Imax's slate for 2025 included its largest release ever with 122 new films worldwide and its largest local language slate, releasing 67 international films from 14 countries.
Looking ahead to 2026, Imax's slate is equally impressive, featuring Jon Favreau's Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, filmed for Imax release; Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, the first theatrical feature shot entirely with Imax film cameras; Greta Gerwig's Narnia, set for an Imax-exclusive theatrical run ahead of its Netflix release; and Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three, also shot with Imax film cameras. Anticipated Hollywood films like Project: Hail Mary, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Toy Story 5, along with the Chinese New Year slate and Japanese anime, will further diversify Imax's offerings in the coming year.
