An expanding theater count and a better crop of movies haven't been enough for RealD
Growth for growth's sake
The expansion binge continued throughout 2010, and the company ended with a 163% increase in screens from 4,300 last year. The increase helped bump total revenue up 91.4% to $57.8 million. That growth easily outpaces competitor IMAX
Exhibitor option expenses, meant to kick-start growth, are continuing to take a toll on revenue.
How to give away a business
RealD gave options to AMC, Regal
The good news is management expects these options to be fully vested by the end of the June quarter, at which point results won't be muddled by a huge options expense. But it will have a bigger diluted share count, something shareholders will have to live with.
To show where RealD stands without options and other costs, adjusted EBITDA more than tripled from last year to $16.9 million in the quarter. If RealD operated in a world without interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and other adjustments, the business would be looking pretty good.
Even license margins of 71.9% look incredible until you realize the company conveniently strips out eyewear costs, even though glasses are required to see 3-D movies. Eyewear operates with a negative 19% margin bringing total gross margin to a measly 10.6%. Ouch!
Foolish bottom line
The loss this quarter isn't the end of the world, and when options stop taking away revenue, results will look much better. With excuses like this running out, it's time for RealD to turn on the profit machine and show what it's really made of.
Interested in reading more about RealD? Click here to add it to My Watchlist to find all of our Foolish analysis on this stock.
More on the movies: