♪ARIA:
FALLOUT, THE SIXTH INSTALLMENT
OF THE FRANCHISE, MISSION I'M
POSSIBLE.
IT IS THE LATEST IMAX OFFERING,
HITTING SCREENS NATIONWIDE
TOMORROW -- TONIGHT, EYE MACS
REPORTING SECOND QUARTER
EARNINGS LAST NIGHT.
EPS BEAT EXPECTATIONS WITH
REVENUE NARROWLY MISSING
JOIN UG
JOIN US RIGHT NOW IS THE CEO OF
IMAX, RICHARD GELFOND.
GOOD QUARTER.
>> VERY GOOD QUARTER.
MARIA: DROVE THE QUARTER?
>> THE SECOND QUARTER WAS THE
HIGHEST BOX OFFICE QUARTER IN
THE HISTORY OF THE MOVIE
BUSINESS.
SOMEWHAT SURPRISING, PEOPLE
THINK IT'S SOMEWHAT STAGNANT
INDUSTRY BUT IT'S ACTUALLY STILL
GROWING.
IMAX'S CASE, WHAT WE DO IS
GLOBAL BLOCKBUSTERS.
WE DID OVER $100 MILLION IN
CHINA IN BOX OFFICE, OVER
$100 MILLION DOMESTICALLY AND
WE WERE FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS.
I THINK THE PUBLIC HAS AN
APPETITE FOR THESE BLOCKBUSTERS
IN A PREMIUM WAY.
MARIA: THERE'S IMPORTANT
INFORMATION YOU'RE GIVING US.
THE INTERNATIONAL STORY IS SUCH
AN IMPORTANT GROWTH STORY FOR SO
MANY COMPANIES, IMAX INCLUDED.
YOU HAVEN'T BEEN CAUGHT UP IN
I DON'T THINK WE WILL EITHER.
SOME OF THE REASONS FOR THAT,
MARIA, ARE IT'S BEEN A VERY GOOD
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOLLYWOOD
AND CHINA.
SO HOLLYWOOD'S MADE A LOT OF
COMPANY IN CHINA THAT'S WORTH
OVER $1 BILLION, A BIG BUSINESS.
WE DO A BIG PART OF THE CHINESE
BOX OFFICE.
AND FOR THE CHINESE, THEY'RE
PORTRAYED IN A DIFFERENT WAY
THAN THEY WERE YEARS AGO.
SO THEY'RE NOT THE BAD GUYS
ANYMORE AND THEY'RE NOT THE
MOVIES LIKE THE MARTIAN OR
MOVIES LIKE THE GREAT WALL, IN A
VERY FAVORABLE WAY.
I DON'T THINK CHINA WANTS TO
POKE AN EYE AT HOLLYWOOD RIGHT
NOW.
MARIA: DID YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP
ANY OF YOUR TECHNOLOGY, DID YOU
HAVE TO GIVE UP ANY OF THE
SECRETS OF IMAX IN ORDER TO GET
CHINESE PARTNERS.
WE DID IT OURSELVES.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAD AN
UGLY EPISODE SEVEN OR EIGHT
YEARS AGO WHERE SOMEONE, A
FORMER EMPLOYEE STOLE SOME OF
OUR TECHNOLOGY AND THEY WERE
BACKED BY THE CHINESE
I THINK CHINA'S A REAL WORLD
POWER NOW.
THEY'RE NOT A DISRUPTER.
THEY'RE THE STATUS QUO.
THEY HAVE TO BE PART OF THE
WORLD COMMUNITY AND PROTECT IP.
MARIA: THE BEST PART OF IMAX IS
GROWTH IN SAUDI ARABIA.
IN CHINA YOU'RE LOOKING AT
BUILDING AND EXPANDING,
THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST.
TELL US WHAT'S ON TAP IN TERMS
OF THE BIG MOVIES AND WHAT
YOU'RE EXPECTING IN TERMS OF THE
MIDDLE EAST AND WHERE GROWTH
COMES FROM NEXT.
>> SAUDI ARABIA IS A PROMISING
MARKET.
IT OPENED UP TO CINEMA A FEW
MONTHS AGO.
WE'RE THE SECOND COMMERCIAL
THEATER EVER IN SAUDI ARABIA,
AMC OPENED THE FIRST COMMERCIAL
THEATER THERE.
INDIA'S A VERY BIG GROWTH MARKET
FOR US NOW.
WE HAVE I THINK 35 THEATERS IN
THE MIDDLE EAST TODAY.
MARIA: FANTASTIC.
>> BLACK PANTHER PLAYED AMAZING
IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
MARIA: YOU HAVE AQUA MAN COMING
UP, YOU'VE GOT THE FANTASTICS.