Imax Q2 2026 Earnings: 'The Odyssey' Fuels a Blowout Beat

July 23, 2026 · Published August 7, 2026

Imax beat profit and revenue forecasts in Q2 2026, powered by a record-breaking opening for Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey."

Key takeaways

• Imax topped Wall Street’s expectations by a wide margin: adjusted profit came in far above forecasts and was up 65% from a year earlier, while revenue rose 12% year-over-year to about $103 million.
• The main driver was Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ which opened to $52 million worldwide in Imax theaters — the biggest global opening in the company’s history on a like-for-like basis. CEO Rich Gelfond called it a “transformational event” for the company.
• Total box office revenue shown in Imax theaters reached $285 million for the quarter, the strongest second quarter since 2019, helped by 24% growth in international markets outside mainland China. Domestic theater occupancy hit 75%, which Gelfond described as “unheard-of.”
• Imax kept expanding its theater footprint, installing 38 new projection systems in the quarter — its fastest installation pace in a decade — bringing its global network past 1,800 locations in 91 countries.
• Profitability remains strong: trailing-twelve-month gross margin near 60% and operating margin above 20% reflect Imax’s licensing-based model, where it earns fees from theaters it doesn’t have to build or operate itself, so a large share of new revenue drops to profit.
• Management reaffirmed its outlook for a record $1.4 billion in global box office for full-year 2026 and at least 160 new theater installations, citing a strong second-half slate that includes the continued run of ‘The Odyssey’ and the upcoming ‘Dune: Part Three.’
• Over the trailing twelve months, revenue grew about 15% and earnings per share grew nearly 22%, suggesting the current box-office and expansion momentum has been building for several quarters rather than being a one-time spike.

Q2 2026 in context

Figures for the quarter ended Jun 2026 and the quarter ended Jun 2025, as reported to the SEC.

How the stock took it

Imax Corp closed at $39.30 on Jul 22, 2026, the last session before the report, and at $43.38 on Jul 24, 2026, the first session after it — +10.4% across the report.

Closes from the market's daily record. Each figure spans the report date — from the last session that closed before it to the first that closed after — because a company may report before the open or after the close.

Financial history →

Sources: company report · earnings call