Nolan's The Odyssey Becomes IMAX's Highest-Grossing Title as Quarterly Revenue Jumps 64%

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is now the highest-grossing title ever shown on IMAX screens, and the company's quarterly revenue rose 64% to $175 million, according to Deadline. Those third-quarter figures, for the three months to September, came in ahead of Wall Street forecasts.

IMAX makes the large-format projection and sound systems that show films on its giant screens, and it also earns from the ticket sales those screens take. In the quarter, its box office reached $712 million, up 90% on a year earlier. Box office means the money audiences pay for tickets.

The Odyssey accounts for a big share of that. The film has brought in $550 million in global IMAX box office to date, more than double the previous IMAX record. That IMAX total is roughly 30% of the film's entire box office, Deadline reported.

Profit moved sharply too. IMAX reported adjusted earnings of $2.21 per share, up 370% on the year before. Adjusted earnings strip out certain one-off items, so they give a clearer view of day-to-day performance. Gross margin, the money left after the direct costs of running the business, was $126 million, up 88%, the company said in its earnings release. The release calls it the best quarterly financial performance in IMAX's history.

Investors responded quickly. IMAX shares rose 4% in early trading after the report. The stock has gained 40% so far this year and 60% over the past 12 months, Deadline said.

Looking ahead, IMAX expects to significantly beat its previous 2026 forecast of $1.4 billion in global box office. A forecast like this is called guidance, and it is the company's own estimate of what its films will take across the world. The company has also signed agreements for more than 100 systems worldwide so far in 2026, and 65% of those are for new locations. Each agreement means a cinema has committed to install IMAX equipment.

The rest of 2026 includes Dune: Part Three and the Chinese release of Avengers: Doomsday. For 2027, IMAX's slate includes Star Wars: Starfighter and Man of Tomorrow, both filmed for IMAX cameras, along with Avengers: Secret Wars. The original Star Wars films will also debut in IMAX 70mm film for the first time, Deadline reported.

Nolan's approach helps explain the appeal of his film on these screens. IMAX's investor materials say The Odyssey was filmed entirely on IMAX cameras, using 2.1 million feet of film, and that the format offers up to 26% more image than standard presentations.

Rich Gelfond is IMAX's chief executive. The company's next earnings update will come after the year's final quarter, and the 2027 slate will test how much of this success carries over to films that were not built around one director's big-screen format.