Premium Screens Sail To Victory
· news
The Screen Has Become the Star of Hollywood’s Revival
The recent success of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and other premium-format films has been touted as a victory for innovative storytelling and cinematic craftsmanship. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the real star of this resurgence is not the movies themselves but rather the screens on which they’re shown.
For years, Hollywood struggled to make moviegoing feel like an event again in the age of streaming convenience. Theaters tried various approaches, from elaborate marketing campaigns to luxurious amenities, but it wasn’t until they emphasized the technical attributes and immersive experiences offered by premium large formats (PLFs) that they found a winning formula.
IMAX has seen its share of domestic box office soar to 5.2% in 2026, up from 3.2% before the pandemic. What’s more striking is that these gains come despite IMAX representing only a small fraction of movie screens worldwide.
Why Premium Screens Are Winning Audiences Over
Audiences are increasingly willing to pay more for premium tickets because they crave experience-based shared moments, particularly among Gen Z viewers. Hollywood has caught on, with studios actively promoting PLFs as an integral part of their marketing campaigns.
Take The Odyssey , for instance. Universal’s extensive promotion of IMAX cameras and 70mm presentations created a buzz around the film that went beyond mere ticket sales. Moviegoers flocked to IMAX screens not just for the movie itself but for the exclusive experience it promised – an experience that was fulfilled in spades.
The Rise of Event-Driven Moviegoing
The success of premium-format films like The Odyssey and Michael (the Michael Jackson biopic) speaks to a larger shift in how people consume movies. With streaming making ordinary movie consumption ridiculously convenient, theaters have had to adapt by turning theatrical releases into more of an occasion – particularly for spectacle-driven films.
PLFs offer exactly this: experiences that are impossible to replicate at home. IMAX’s enormous screens and specialized projection, Dolby Cinema’s immersive sound, ScreenX’s wraparound visuals, and 4DX’s moving seats all combine to create an event out of what was once a mundane trip to the cinema.
The Business of Premium Screens
As Hollywood continues to court audiences with premium-format films, exhibitors are benefiting from increased revenue streams. According to industry estimates, premium-format tickets accounted for 15.6% of North American box office in 2024 – up from 10.3% in 2019.
Theaters must now invest in installing and upgrading PLFs, creating a virtuous cycle where more premium screens encourage studios to make movies optimized for them, which in turn drives demand for even more premium tickets.
What’s Next?
A slate of upcoming releases, including Godzilla Minus Zero , Dune: Part Three , and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse , will keep the momentum going. Marvel is also innovating with its Infinity Vision initiative, which promises an even more immersive experience for select films.
In the end, it’s clear that Hollywood has finally found a winning formula – one that puts the screen itself at center stage. The question now is whether this trend will continue to drive box office success or if it will eventually fizzle out like so many other gimmicks before it.
Reader Views
- ADAnalyst D. Park · policy analyst
The emphasis on premium screens as the driving force behind Hollywood's resurgence overlooks the elephant in the room: unsustainable business models. As more studios pour resources into PLFs, they're inadvertently pricing out casual moviegoers and reinforcing a tiered viewing system. The influx of premium tickets is indeed lucrative, but it may be short-sighted to assume this trend will continue without pushing theaters further down the path of elitism – a shift that could ultimately alienate the very audience that made these formats popular in the first place.
- CMColumnist M. Reid · opinion columnist
The article correctly identifies the resurgence of moviegoing as a phenomenon driven by premium screens, but misses the elephant in the room: what happens when these large-format theaters start to cannibalize existing theater chains? As IMAX and PLFs continue to corner the high-end market, will smaller independent cinemas be forced out of business, or can they adapt and find ways to compete on a more level playing field? The answer may hold the key to preserving cinema diversity in the long run.
- CSCorrespondent S. Tan · field correspondent
The premium screen phenomenon is undeniably a savvy marketing play by studios, but let's not overlook the elephant in the room: sustainability. As the industry prioritizes immersive experiences over environmental concerns, we risk turning moviegoing into an expensive novelty rather than a genuine cultural event. Theaters are investing heavily in PLF infrastructure, which will only continue to fuel carbon-intensive operations and contribute to the wasteful culture of disposability plaguing our entertainment industry.