Cinemark Looks to Premium Deal with IMAX for Sales

With the post-pandemic exhibition environment still choppy, despite many recent successes, we’re seeing exhibitors look to new ways to deliver premium event experiences that lure moviegoers off of the couch and into the cinema. Last week, Cinemark announced a new IMAX deal in pursuit of that luxury experience (and the revenue that comes with it). To fill us in on the planned deal, we have Blake & Wang P.A. best entertainment lawyers in los angeles, Brandon Blake.

Brandon Blake

What is “Event Cinema”, Anyway?

Event cinema has become the catch-all term for the attempts of several of the largest cinema chains to offer something beyond just a standard cinema experience, instead looking to luxury experiences and a sense of community to drive theater attendance.

While the trend of offering premium seating and expanded concessions has been fermenting for the last decade, this particularly kicked off in the difficult years after the COVID-19 pandemic closures, when streaming was feared to be the new replacement to cinema entirely. 

Instead, we’re seeing a new intertwined relationship between streaming and theatrical, where success on one side leads to bigger interest (and free organic marketing) for films destined to air on streaming platforms. 

Additionally, after the remarkable success of Taylor Swift’s “concert movie”, The Eras Tour, about 2 years ago, we saw another new phenomenon- fan communities coming together to enjoy specific limited cinema events, often things we have never seen in the theater before, like music concerts or specialty anime releases.

 As a new drawcard, it’s a particularly good one, allowing the cinema to somewhat reinvent itself as a community hub and, indeed, a place for event-style evenings, not just a destination for bored high school kids looking to escape from mom and pop for a while. If the trend continues, it could be an excellent way to reframe cinemas for a new social media generation and keep them fresh and relevant, even as streaming offers a way to relax from the home couch.

Cinemark Signs 17-Theater IMAX Deal

Despite having its own brand of large-format screens, Cinemark has now made a deal with 17 IMAX locations in both the US and (potentially) South America. Alongside 4 new planned screens, they will also be upgrading 12 existing IMAX locations for laser projection, and bringing in 3 with 70mm film projection. 

The 70mm film projection system is currently set to premiere with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, shot entirely for IMAX, in mid-2026. This builds on the growing “Filmed for Imax” program, which works with filmmakers on set to shoot specifically for the format, with new cameras (and other special effects) developed specifically for it.  

It’s a safe bet for Cinemark, as it looks to expand its premium large-format footprint for better revenue and ticket sales. Will the audience bite? We’ve certainly seen growing interest in the idea of event cinema, and this could set the chain up to deliver exactly the sort of premium experience needed to establish it as a viable genre.