IMAX is exploring a sale, and the outcome could change premium cinema forever. Here's who might buy it, what happens if private equity wins, and why this is just the latest domino to fall in Hollywood
I'd put Apple as a leader into Option 2. Riding high with a market cap of 4+ Trillion, they could pay a 100% premium on IMax's current value and still make the purchases for less than 1% of their own. Imagine of Apple Vision headsets all get first access to the IMax version of studio releases. And both companies are known as premium products that people are willing to pay extra for. Seems like a good match to me.
Could another path be the way? Say Sony and they pair it with their professional camera production as a way to get an inside advantage on creating a digital IMAX sensor, while also continuing on with the film cameras and theatre setups?
True, but as you say, they have the money and it could be beneficial for them to acquire the healthy ticketing business and remove a competitor in the capture technology that leads to those ticket sales while advancing their own tech research/development in the process. Wouldn't be the worst outcome for the industry, either.
I'd put Apple as a leader into Option 2. Riding high with a market cap of 4+ Trillion, they could pay a 100% premium on IMax's current value and still make the purchases for less than 1% of their own. Imagine of Apple Vision headsets all get first access to the IMax version of studio releases. And both companies are known as premium products that people are willing to pay extra for. Seems like a good match to me.
Very good point. A drop in the bucket for Apple. IMAX optimized screens and Apple Vision. IMAX optimized sound for AirPods. Could be a play!
You make a lot of great points and I think you're right: Option 3 seems to make the most sense of a group that would have the funds to buy it.
Unfortunately yes. It’s usually how these things go. There’s trillions of dollars sitting around out there at these firms.
Could another path be the way? Say Sony and they pair it with their professional camera production as a way to get an inside advantage on creating a digital IMAX sensor, while also continuing on with the film cameras and theatre setups?
Could be. But IMAX’s biggest value is in the ticket sales, not the cameras. Sony has the money but I don’t know if that’s their goal right now.
True, but as you say, they have the money and it could be beneficial for them to acquire the healthy ticketing business and remove a competitor in the capture technology that leads to those ticket sales while advancing their own tech research/development in the process. Wouldn't be the worst outcome for the industry, either.