IMAX has fared best among global exhibitors during 2020, in large part based on the strength of their network in China and Japan, markets where audiences have returned to pre-pandemic levels of movie-going. Even in North America and Europe, where theatre attendance remains depressed, IMAX has produced industry-leading per-screen averages based on their ability to provide big-screen experiences for blockbuster Hollywood fare such as Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.
Variety interviewed IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond for an update on how the company is weathering COVID-19, and to get his take on the reboot of exhibitions globally, including the impact studios have had on the expected recovery by holding back on theatrical releases. Said Gelfond, “Had other movies [in addition to Tenet] come out soon afterward, I think the industry would have been able to build back some momentum.” When asked about the return of audiences, he stated, “Moviegoing is going to rebound in a big way, just as it has in parts of the world where the virus is under control.”