2025 was a fruitful year for many films at the box office, but one format in particular thrived. IMAX theaters were able to see a dramatic increase in revenue this year, so much so that 2025 has become the best year they’ve ever seen.
Overall, IMAX was able to bring in a colossal $1.28 billion this year. Reports state that this isn’t just one of the best years that IMAX has ever seen, but rather the single best year they’ve seen. The previous year, which was their best outing, was 2019, no doubt boosted by titles like Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, and The Rise of Skywalker. 2025 marked a 13% increase over the 2019 profits.
Deadline noted that IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond had nothing but glowing words about the year. He dubbed it a “transformational year,” commenting on the slate that they put out while saying 2026 looks to be a healthy year for the company and for the format as well.
As far as how the revenue came in, it was spread pretty evenly across the year. The front half of the summer movie season helped to bring in some strong numbers, with both Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning and F1 being pushed heavily for IMAX screens. The Final Reckoning raked in $75.8 million for IMAX, while F1 raced by with $97.6 million.
Much like the two previous installments before it, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash proved to be quite the darling for IMAX as well. With viewers wanting to return to Pandora in one of the most premium formats possible, the film took in $112 million for IMAX, being the second-best-performing title for the company.
Deadline also noted that the highest-grossing title for IMAX this year marked a first for the company as well. The top spot did not go to a stateside film, but rather one from China. Ne Zha 2, already being the highest-grossing film of the year with a whopping $2.2 billion worldwide cumulatively, was also the top title for IMAX in 2025. In terms of strictly IMAX revenue, Ne Zha 2 made a grand total of $167 million for the year, soaring past the likes of Avatar, F1, or any other title from ‘25.
For more updates, stay with us here.
Leave a Comment