IMAX reopens in Sydney with a promise for more

afr.com:

The first time Rich Gelfond visited Sydney, it was in 1996 for the opening of the IMAX cinema in Darling Harbour.

As an executive at IMAX, he had been to a few screen openings by then. “They fit a model. You know, I’ll make a little speech. They’re relatively staid affairs,” he said. “But when I got to the one in the original Darling Harbour, they gave me shots of tequila or vodka.”

It was memorable. Olivia Newton-John was the host, and although he doesn’t remember the film, “the vibe was so great”. “It was a great way to get indoctrinated in Australian culture,” he said.

IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond in his new theatre in Darling Harbour. 

Mr Gelfond is back. It is his fourth time Down Under, and it is déjà vu – he arrived for the reopening of the IMAX cinema in Sydney, after three builders and seven long years of construction, in the new W Hotel.

The Sydney IMAX theatre was the second-highest-grossing screen for the company between 2011 and 2015. The new screen, which measures 29 by 23.8 metres, is the fourth-largest in the world, and covers 692 square metres. There are 328 new, leather seats. It is run by hospitality heavyweight EVT, and made $US355,000 ($559,000) in its first two weeks.

There are two IMAX cinemas in Australia now, including the one in Melbourne. IMAX wants to build another 38 screens in this country over the next few years. Mr Gelfond said the company has neglected Australia – for context, there are two in New Zealand and nine in Ecuador.

Mr Gelfond, 68, can quote from memory the annual revenue of many of the 1700 screens IMAX has in 90 countries – more countries than Starbucks, he points out. Melbourne has booked $US3.4 million ($5.36 million) in the nine months to September. “With another quarter to go,