Imax and Evo Entertainment announced today during their presentation at CinemaCon that they have entered into a partnership to open eight new Imax locations throughout Florida and Texas, including ones in Houston and Austin, marking the largest agreement for new Imax locations in a decade.
“As we continue to expand, we remain committed to being at the forefront of cutting-edge spaces,” said Mitch Roberts, CEO of Evo Entertainment Group in a statement. “This partnership with Imax allows us to further enhance our state-of-the-art facilities and provide our guests with the ultimate movie-going experience. We are excited to bring Imax with Laser to our venues and look forward to elevating the standard for cinematic experiences.”
“Evo is bringing fresh energy to the exhibition landscape in Texas and beyond and we are very excited to be in business with such a forward-thinking, innovative partner committed to offering audiences premium entertainment experiences,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax. “The fact that Imax is driving significant network growth with new partners in even our most penetrated market of North America speaks to the remarkable momentum across our business right now.”
The Austin-based Evo Entertainment Group was founded in 2014 by CEO Mitch Roberts. The company’s goal has to been to reinvent and enhance the movie-going experience. Their work includes movie theatres, bowling, high-tech arcades, dining, and unique attractions. The company is the nation’s leading and largest operator of cinema-entertainment centers.
Imax has now signed agreements for 62 new or upgraded IMAX systems around the world in 2023 to date. This includes agreements in key growth markets such as Japan, Indonesia, France, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Imax has continued to find new ways to entice audiences over the last year. In March, the company signed a deal with data and measurement firm EntTelligence for analysis of its audiences. The agreement called for Imax to obtain detailed analysis related to capacity and attendance measurement. EntTelligence gathers data on over 3,000 theaters.
This also comes in the wake of regulatory filings released on April 14 that showed Richard Gelfond, the company’s CEO, made $8.03 million in 2022, down just 11.5% from his payout of $9.08 million from 2021.
The new systems are expected to begin opening in the third quarter of 2023.
