IMAX Corporation

History

IMAX is a Canadian corporation that is based in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario. The Company was officially founded in 1967 when three filmmakers, Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor and Robert Kerr incorporated IMAX Corporation. The idea and the new technology, which resulted in the birth of the company, came the work that Ferguson, Kroitor and Kerr had done producing the multi-screen National Film Board of Canada production In the Labyrinth and Ferguson's Man and the Polar Regions for Expo 67. From their experience, Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor and Robert Kerr realized that new technology would be necessary to develop a larger and more complex project than previously seen. As a result, they sought an engineer named William Shaw in 1968 (he had gone to Galt Collegiate Institute in Galt, Ontario, now Cambridge, with Ferguson and Kerr) to help develop this technology. Shaw created this new projector that allowed for films to have exceptionable quality and to be ten times larger than conventional 35mm picture frames. The first movie IMAX Corporation produced using this new technology was Tiger Child which was featured at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. It was because of the multi-screen viewing that Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor and Robert Kerr wanted to create a theatre with giant screens, surround sound and stadium seating.

William Shaw was instrumental in helping IMAX Corporation fulfill its ambitions in creating larger and more realistic experiences for audience which included oversized screens, surround sound and steep seating for better viewing. Shaw remained at IMAX (although officially retired) as a designer and inventor until his passing on August 31, 2002 at the age of 73. Before retiring Shaw created a 3D camera which was sent to the International Space Station for IMAX films. Another engineer at IMAX Corporation Brian Bonnick, Chief Technology Officer at IMAX Corporation, developed technologies that made it possible for the worldwide IMAX to produce major Hollywood films. It was a critical point when IMAX Corporation sought to expand in 1994 by publicly listing IMAX on the NASDAQ stock exchange, and it became apparent then the future of the company rest in their ability to attract Hollywood production houses. To do this required flexible technology able to adapt quickly in various locations. Bonnick and his group created IMAX DMR (Digital Re-Mastering), which allowed for these requirements and paved the way for the large Hollywood blockbuster movies that would soon result. IMAX Corporation has gone on to expand with various new technologies including The IMAX Experience and the IMAX MPX theatre system and have also revamped IMAX 2D footage into IMAX 3D. The success of IMAX has made it possible for IMAX Corporation to sign deals with countries around the world. In 2009 IMAX Corporation signed a deal with China building the first ever IMAX theatre in Tianjin, China. The theatre was set to open in 2012. In March 2011 IMAX noted that China's Wanda Cinema Line announced a 75-theatre deal with IMAX Corporation. This was one of the largest international deals to the date of 2011 for IMAX and one of the second largest in Company History. While IMAX Corporation has expanded profoundly throughout the decades, it still sees itself as a leader in:

The Company motto is "IMAX IS BELIEVING", highlighting the original founder's philosophies of creating a real life like experience for the audience.

In 2011 IMAX, Discovery Communications and Sony announced to launch a 3D television channel; the companies later announced the upcoming channel would be named "3DNet", the channel was later planned to be named 3net. In August 2014 3net closed down due to low ratings.

On October 8, 2015, IMAX China, a subsidiary of the company, was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Co-productions

In November 2016, Marvel Television and IMAX announced the live action television series, Marvel's Inhumans, based on the superhero species of the same name. The series, co-produced with ABC Studios, will see IMAX serve as a financing partner, a first for IMAX, which allows Marvel to spend more on the series than it has on its other shows, especially for visual effects. The entire series will also be filmed with IMAX digital cameras. The Inhumans will have versions of its first two episodes debut on IMAX screens in theaters world-wide in September 2017, with the series airing weekly on ABC afterwards.