IMAX
The family entertainment giant announced that three of its most anticipated theatrical releases next year -- Cars 2, Mars Needs Moms, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides -- will be released on IMAX 3-D.
Disney has fared well in partnering with IMAX this year by putting out beefed-up versions of Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3.
Exhibitors couldn't be happier, since moviegoers haven't flinched at paying a premium for 3-D screenings -- and even more when those rich showings are on larger IMAX screens.
IMAX is coming off its best quarter in the company's 43-year history, and while News Corp.'s
It doesn't hurt that IMAX continues to work with exhibitors to convert more of their conventional multiplex screens into sensory IMAX projection systems. AMC and Regal
As long as theater patrons continue to pay a premium for enhanced cinematic outings, IMAX will have no problem growing its empire and improving its economies of scale. It also follows that all of the major studios will continue to warm up to IMAX to milk more money out of their flicks through pricier tickets.
I recommended shares of IMAX to Motley Fool Rule Breakers subscribers five years ago, while it was still in the single digits. It took awhile for the pieces to come together, but IMAX has become one of the more compelling investments in the entertainment industry.
There is life after Avatar for IMAX, and if Disney is to be believed, the new blood comes in the form of Martians, pirates, and race cars.
Have you ever been to an IMAX theater? Was it worth the premium? Please share your perspective in the comments box below.