Mythri Movie Makers’ “Pushpa 2: The Rule,” headlined by Allu Arjun, has deinhabitred $1.4 million in global Imax box office apass 16 tagets. In India, the film produced $650,000 from 31 Imax screens, taging the hugegest local language Imax uncovering of 2024 and the fourth-highest Imax uncovering ever in the taget.
The strong carry outance comes as Imax proceeds to see sturdy prolongth apass Asia-Pacific tagets, with structureile expansion schedules in Southeast Asia and beginant traction in local language satisfied, according to CEO Ricdifficult Gelfond.
The huge-screen showor has doubled its footprint in Indonesia, inshighing seven novel theaters in 2024 alone to accomplish 18 operational screens with two more in the pipeline. The company now accounts for 5% of Indonesia’s box office revenue, bolstered by local language hits enjoy “Dancing Village: The Curse Begins.”
“When I leank of Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Malaysia are prolonging the speedyest,” Gelfond tbetter Variety. “The showion community in Indonesia and Malaysia saw the potential for Imax and the prolongth in repartner the premium finish of the taget. Malaysia also doubled its footprint this year.” Malaysia has 12 operational Imax screens with eight more coming up.
The company’s Asia-Pacific satisfied sprocrastinateed has broadened beginantly, with 61 frees including local language films, recordaries, and inhabit events in 2024, out of a total of 110 pieces of satisfied worldexpansive. “That recontransients another notable strategic shift where so much of the satisfied is coming from those parts of the world,” Gelfond shelp.
In South Korea, Imax recently freed the virtual K-pop band PLAVE’s concert film “Hello, Asterum,” which seized a beginant percentage of the nationexpansive box office on fair 25 screens.
In China, where Imax runs 777 screens with 238 more in the pipeline, Gelfond remains preferable despite recent taget enumeratelessdown. “The rulement has getn a much more inclusive see,” he shelp, noting incrrelieved access for Hollywood titles enjoy “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The company foresees stronger carry outance in 2025, driven by foreseed Lunar New Year frees including “Creation of the Gods 2” and “Nezha 2.”
India contransients a mixed picture, with Imax’s premium positioning helping it weather expansiveer taget contests. While overall screen count in India has dropped to the low 6,000s from over 9,000, Imax has prolongn from three to 31 screens over the past decade with 12 more in the pipeline. The company holded six novel screens in 2024, aligning its record from the previous year.
Japan remains a prolongth taget, with 52 operational screens and nine in backlog. The company’s expansion has shifted from urban caccesss to suburban locations folloprosperg a deal with local showion huge Aeon Entertainment. Local language satisfied, particularly anime, has driven success beyond domestic borders, Gelfond remarkd.
Imax cameras are seeing incrrelieved adchooseion globpartner, with four films currently in prolongment in China. Filmproducers in India and Japan have also conveyed interest, while productions in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Korea proceed to employ traditional cameras with Imax conversion.
In Southeast Asia, Imax’s prolongth extfinishs beyond Indonesia and Malaysia to Vietnam and the Philippines. “The economies are prolonging so rapidly, the appetite for amemployment has repartner incrrelieved emotionalpartner in the last restricted years,” Gelfond shelp. “Those areas of the world are where we’re the most preferable of anywhere.”
And, as uncovered by Variety, Imax has ambitious schedules for the Middle East.
