Responding to the idea that 70mm IMAX should be everywhere, Gelfond explains the economics cap its expansion: a $50,000 print, even costlier projectors that were built decades ago and are scarce, so it only pays off in the highest-traffic venues. ✦ AI generated
Rich Gelfond · The Compound · 2026-08-10 · original ↗
starts at this moment · 21:34
“What are the what are the constraints around building more of the 70 millimeter experiences which obviously is I've heard you refer to as a Rolls-Royce um of movie going.”
The issue is purely economics with more film projectors. So, one print at one theater, so think of the one that shows at 68th Street here in Manhattan, cost $50,000. ... The projector is more expensive than that. ... And they were built 50 years ago and they don't really exist, but we're always scavenging and finding more. ... So I know everybody says they want it, but you know it it it the model just doesn't work where you could have a lot of [them].
verbatim transcript · starts at 21:34
21:34totally agree. I went to see one battle after another in Fort Lauderdale. You guys are located in like an abandoned science museum. Like I was saying to myself, this should be the hottest ticket in Florida. People should be lined up out the door. I was able to buy a same day ticket for 70 millimeter. That same experience in New York, sold out the second you put them up. I don't
21:58think people even know that that exists where it's located. >> Well, they do. We do pretty good numbers coming out of there. I don't think it was abandoned. Maybe it was closed that day, but I will agree with you. It's not the hottest. >> Felt aband felt abandoned. I was just saying to myself, can you imagine a brand new 70 mm IMAX in downtown Fort Lauderdale? Forget it. It would be like
22:20>> I can imagine one in downtown LA. It's called LA Live and we converted it on January 1st this year and the first 6 months it did $800,000. The first few weeks it did more than that. We put a film projector in there and it sold out for a long time going forward. The issue is purely economics with more film projectors. So, one print at one theater, so think of the one that
22:49shows at 68th Street here in Manhattan, cost $50,000. >> The print itself, >> the print itself cost $50,000. >> And the projector is equally expensive. >> The projector is more expensive than that. Okay. >> And they were built 50 years ago and they don't really exist, but we're always scavenging and finding more. And I think this is a chance we can do that. But you it can only be in really hightra
23:13locations where you could advertise that cost of the print and make a return on it. So I know everybody says they want it, but you know it it it the model just doesn't work where you could have a lot of >> How many of the 70 mm theaters do you have in the United States right now? >> I think we have um >> 25. >> Yeah, something like that. And we have
23:3341 globally. But keep in mind that's up marketly. When we did Oppenheimer, we only had 30 theaters. We're up to 41. And we have a clever new idea which we haven't proved out yet where we might be able to get 10 new ones. >> Okay. Could you share or No. >> No. >> All right. Well, let me ask you this. What What do we do when there's a l in