Matt Reeves' The Batman can add another box office achievement to its growing list as it helps propel IMAX to over $10 billion in lifetime grosses. Since its debut three weekends ago, The Batman has been nothing short of a success. Thanks to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, anticipation for the DC film was higher than ever by the time it premiered in early March, and that helped pull in impressive box office figures. The Batman earned $134 million in its first three days, the second-biggest opening weekend since late 2019. As of this weekend, it has crossed the $300 million mark domestically and is incredibly close to $600 million worldwide.
A solid portion of these grosses have come from IMAX screens. The premium moviegoing format has become the go-to way to watch films on the big screen, particularly those within the genre realm. For example, Dune and Spider-Man: No Way Home pulled in great numbers for IMAX in October and December, respectively. Filmmakers are prioritizing IMAX more and more these days, with prominent directors like Christopher Nolan and Jordan Peele developing new cameras for the format.
The involvement of Nolan and Peele shows just how formidable IMAX is becoming, and now the company has an extra achievement to be proud of. Per Deadline, IMAX has officially crossed $10 billion in lifetime grosses from narrative, non-documentary releases. Dune and No Way Home aided with this last year, but it's The Batman's recent success that helped pushed it over the line. To date, IMAX has made up $47.6 million of its nearly $600 million worldwide total, and $28.5 million of that comes from North America. In its third weekend, The Batman earned $2.3 million from IMAX.
It isn't very surprising to hear The Batman has been a major player for IMAX. Ahead of its release, Reeves hyped the film's IMAX experience, and early fan screenings in the format sold out immediately. The coronavirus pandemic put a stop to true big screen spectacles in 2020, and it's clear that audiences are eager to enjoy them once again. IMAX, much like Dolby, often costs more, but it leads to a great experience thanks to sharper images and a bigger picture.
Even as The Batman continues to rack up impressive numbers, there are more movies scheduled for 2022 that will likely be big performers for IMAX. In just over a month, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will probably dominate IMAX screens, and June's Jurassic World: Dominion has already begun to stake its claim with IMAX through a prequel trailer that was released in theaters last summer. $10 billion is a major achievement for the company, and if it continues to grow with the industry, it just might hit $20 billion eventually.
Source: Deadline
