IMAX is continuing its expansion in Malaysia and its partnership with Golden Screen Cinemas, pacting for six state-of-the-art IMAX with Laser systems. The agreement will cover five new locations including the Aurum TRX in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, and one upgrade to the Southkey Megamall location in IOI City Mall. With the new deal, IMAX has now completed 13 signings for its systems this year in Malaysia, making it the top international growth market for IMAX in 2023 to date.
IMAX and GSC, which is the leading cinema exhibitor in Malaysia, have been in business together since 2019. This deal will bring the total number of IMAX locations with GSC to nine, all of which will feature IMAX with Laser systems by 2027.
“As the first local cinema exhibitor to offer IMAX with Laser theaters to cater to the needs of action movie enthusiasts, our continued partnership with IMAX underscores our continuous commitment in bringing immersive cinematic experiences to moviegoers. With a total of nine GSC locations equipped with IMAX with Laser, this creates greater opportunities for us to showcase locally produced content in premium movie formats,” said Ms. Koh Mei Lee, Chief Executive Officer, Golden Screen Cinemas.
Noted IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond, “With the strong performance of Avatar, Oppeneimer and now local language content, Malaysia has been an incredible success story for IMAX this year — underscoring our growth potential across international markets and the diversity of ways cinema is thriving worldwide. GSC is an excellent, world-class exhibition partner for IMAX, and we look forward to expanding our partnership and working together to serve Malaysian audiences and drive further growth in the market.”
Malaysia consistently ranks among the top 25 global markets for IMAX box office despite having only 11 IMAX locations currently in operation. The growth has spurred IMAX to move further into local films in the market, with the company debuting its first Malaysia release, Malbatt: Misi Bakara in August this year. Recently, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer became the No. 2 all-time release in Malaysia, with James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water holding the No. 1 one slot.