Following the revelation of IMAX Corporation’s first quarter financial results, the company has pledged further investment in virtual reality (VR). This includes opening new ‘pilot VR centres’ across North America, UK, China and Japan.
IMAX had previously announced a deal with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment to develop three VR experiences based on highly anticipated films, including Justice League and Aquaman, following the launch of the first IMAX VR Centre in Los Angeles. The launch of an IMAX VR Centre in the UK had already been announced, however further international ambitions for the initiative now come off the back of success in the emerging out-of-home entertainment sector for VR.
“In addition to significantly expanding our network and backlog, we are beginning to execute against several new promising business initiatives,” CEO Richard L. Gelfond continued. “We launched our flagship IMAX VR Centre in Los Angeles, announced our first-ever Hollywood VR slate deal with Warner Bros., and kicked off production with Marvel and ABC Studios on Marvel’s Inhumans, which will debut exclusively in IMAX theaters in early September. We’re encouraged by the progress we’re seeing across these fronts and believe 2017 will serve as a key inflection point for IMAX as our business expands beyond box office.”
No specific opening dates nor locations have yet been announced for these additional IMAX VR Centres, but VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details.