300 did 2.7MM at Imax 62 theaters this weekend. They did 3.6MM last weekend and they have done a worldwide total of 9.7MM.

The weekend represents 75% of last weekend, not bad at all. Especially when you consider that the movie fell off by almost 50% overall (domestic).

IMAX is holding above the $5 mark (so far).

Not telling anybody to do anything.... But...IMAX lookin pretty good after it's $5 spot!

That's why 300 was a subject germaine to the investment boards!

Could have foooled us.  Was the topic IMAX or 300? movie did well at box office. 

Great movie, I saw it this afternoon.  That Queen... whew she was definitely right for the part. Something funny or dumb happen while there, a couple of lady's brought 7  10-12 year olds boys and girls.  I had read it had some nudity and sex, but I figured since it was obviously rated R, I decided not to say anything to them. As this movie got going, the king climbed up a cliff and did one of leaps with his arms, like Sly did in Cliffhanger, impossible. At the top of the mountain he went to a strip bar to watch this barely dressed woman perform. (The ladies w/kids were shuffling in their seats, lol) It ended, I chuckled.   Then when the King pulled the ole, "I will never see you again" the queen gave it up in all directions. Man, that Queen is fine. I couldn't help but see those boys with EYES WIDE OPEN, LOL. The moms were covering the eyes of the closes kids to them. They got up after the marathon session. A couple of boys ran to the front of the theater to get away from his mother wanting to watch the movie. She had to drag them out, "Daddy said I could see it!!!" Everyone was laughing.

Anyway I loved the movie and the drama around it. No doubt it would be awesome experience on an IMAX screen,  unfortunately the closest IMAX is 2 hours away.

Next up is Spiderman 3.

Opens May 4th, ought to be a fan boy hit.

After that comes Harry Potter (there must be something in between) with a special Imax 3D ending not available to regular venues.

Another company in this 3D space is Stereovision (svsn) which trades in the sub $1 world of 52 cents.

I'm not pushing either stock, you're all big boys and big girls who should make your own decisions and not follow anything you hear on some internet board.

Full disclosure though, I do own for clients, shares of Imax some from higher levels and some from lower levels. I have never owned SVSN, nor do I intend to (now, I reserve the right to change my mind) but I don't have an opinion on it either way.

Both Imax and Stereovision use a polaroid technique to create the image of 3D. If you've never experienced 3D at an Imax, take it from me, it's awesome.

I'm not sure that Disney uses Stereovision to create their "Disney 3D" movies In fact I think that SVSN uses language to make it seem as though they have something to do with Disney, but the facts are otherwise (at least that's the way it seems).

SVSN looks to be trying the more frat boyish ares of the movie market (but not exclusively). They look to be exploiting Horror and Pultritude in 3D. Horroween, and the Girls Of Hawaiian Tropic in situations of terror.

Funkadelic and the launch of the Brothership Mothership is a project that funks out for 3D treatment.

Seems to me that it is a young company that's entering into a very competitive space against cometitors who can leap the highest barriors to entry. The polaroid process is neither a secret nor particularly patentable. Imax does it buy running two lenses on the projector, I do not know what the others do. (by others, I include the theaters that show Disney in 3D. I don't even know where those theaters are.

Here's an interesting article about 3D movies. http://www.technologypundits.com/index.php?article_id=303

It's likely to be really big going forward. Probably not a bad place to be investing (Just thinkg out loud here, not giving out any advice!) in that recessions are generally good for the movie business and there's likely to be a retooling of the theaters anyway as they get away from Atom based distrubutions towards Electron based (away from film, to digital, satellite or internet, fiberoptic, digital distrubution.)

"After that comes Harry Potter (there must be something in between) with a special Imax 3D ending not available to regular venues."

Forget striking it rich as a CFP.  Learn how to write best selling children's books.

http://celebrities.netscape.com/story/2007/01/18/oprah-harry -potter-creator-richest-women-in-entertainment

We'll see if she lasts as long as Beatrix Potter!

(actually, WE won't because we'll all be worm food by then! Heck. Our worms' great great great grand children will be worm food by then!)

Imax and Warner Brothers are jumping aboard the Inconvenient Truth bus and reminding people of the Polar Cap Melting Express with a new movie dealing with the Oceans and Climate change.

Called Deep Sea-quel 3D the movie is brought to you by the same folks that brought Deep Sea 3D to an Imax somewhere near somebody.

Interestingly, 300 has done around $20million in ticket sales and Deep Sea has done $40million in a year's time. Point being that the Imax movies have some serious earnings potential due to the longevity of their shelf life (figure that the non entertainment movies run about half the price of the wide release shows and you can see how many tickets are sold to these shows!) This gives the theater owner a different revenue source in that they can have school science trips to their theaters during the off hours (I don't suppose they sell a lot of popcorn for those shows, but hey, cash flow is cash flow and when they've had a kid in the seat to see the science movie, he'll be likely to pester dad into taking him to see Harry Potter there too.)

(Again, I'm not suggesting that anyone buy anything, not a ticket, not a share and not a theater. Make your own investment decisions.... But, this is a site where investment professionals hang around isn't it? Yet nobody talks about stocks here... And yet you wonder why there is a growing niche for stock pickers.)

Interestingly, 300 has done around $20million in ticket sales ."

Are you talking about ticket receipts only at IMAX? Or was that a typo because last i heard 300 had brought in over 200MM in ticket sales.

Cant wait for the DVD to come out- just got the Sharp Aquos 37" LCD and that movie will keep me watching for 3 days straight (sipping on Jack and Jokes the whole time...)

I mean at Imax alone.

LOS ANGELES, CA, April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - IMAX Corporation and
Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that 300: The IMAX Experience has
grossed more than $20 million worldwide since premiering on March 9, 2007. The
picture continues to blaze a record-breaking box office trail by reaching the
$20 million milestone in just over four weeks, between March 9, 2007 and April
10, 2007 - faster than any other 2D digitally re-mastered IMAX release. '300'
is currently playing on 84 IMAX(R) screens worldwide and is showing strong box
office performances in both domestic and international markets. The film's
total worldwide box office from both conventional and IMAX(R) theatres is now
at $404.5 million.

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2007/03/29/analysis-will-meet-t he-robinsons-and-3d-technology-transform-the-movie-industry

This 3D looks like it's actually going to happen this time.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I wonder if this means there will be a consolidation in the industry again as the cost to play increases yet again.

What of the bonds of the movie chains.

Just thinking out loud here...

Hmmmph...

You know, movies are still something that we export more of than we import (even though the Mexicans put a bite in this Oscar season)...

Some guy bought 140,000 shares of <?:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />IMAX for his personal stash... He owns 1.8 Million shares and controls about 2.4MM. I don't know anything about the guy, he certainly didn't buy from me or on my recommendation... (dangit!)