#IMAX Sees The Streaming Future, Could Pivot To Concerts And Live Events

Now, with the pandemic rules beginning to loosen around the country, we might see a rise in theater audiences again. But with many films going directly to streaming, the sheer volume of content on streaming services, and people’s nerves still raw about yet another variant showing up, movies might not be enough to make people return for films that aren’t events like “Dune” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” If you can see it on a small screen, people probably will.

With that in mind, IMAX hasn’t been idle in terms of events. The company recently had a screening of “The Tragedy of Macbeth” with a live Q&A with star Frances McDormand and director Joel Coen, a Q&A with Steven Spielberg for “West Side Story,” and a Q&A with Peter Jackson after an IMAX-only release of the Disney+ documentary “The Beatles: Get Back.” It’s a win-win here for the companies behind it all. The streamers, as the site points out, get to make an event of their work, and with the sheer volume of content out there, that makes sense as a way to stand out. In addition, IMAX gets butts back in those theater seats. 

“If you don’t keep reinventing yourself, you’re not going to move your business forward,” Mr. Gelfond told THR. “So we’ve been working for the last few years on events, what we informally call IMAX 3.0. The world is changing, and the movie industry is changing.”