Imax isn’t talking about speculation over a possible takeover after stock in the film technologies company spiked in after-hour market trading on Thursday.
Shares in Imax rose $3.62, or nearly 11 percent, to $37.50 after The Wall Street Journal report the company was in the early stages of fielding possible buyers for the company as premium large format (PLF) screens like its own transform the multiplex experience.
Executives at Imax declined direct comment on the report the company was headed to the auction block. But Imax CEO Richard Gelfond told a recent investors day in Dec. 2025 that his company was a more valuable property as consumers paid extra for Imax and other big screen experiences at the local multiplex.
“So as this trend accelerates, Imax becomes an incredibly valuable player, either as a wholly differentiated publicly traded company or as part of a larger company with the keys to unlock even greater value and are strong business worldwide,” Gelfond told investors as he was asked about the future of Imax.
The sales process for Imax is at an early stage as major Hollywood studios double down on theatrical releases with longer windows coming out of the pandemic, and may not result in a transaction, the paper’s reporting added.
