IMAX banned Russian cinemas from using its equipment

IMAX banned Russian cinemas from using its equipment

23 августа 2022, 10:00
The Canadian company IMAX, which left the Russian market this summer, banned cinemas in Russia from showing films in the format of the same name. The equipment belongs to them.

In particular, the ban applies to Russian films, said Alexei Vasyasin, CEO of Cinema Park and Formula Kino.

- Technically, the projector can show any movie. Another issue is that it is impossible to show a film in IMAX format without IMAX permission. Even Russian films in this format - "Movement Up", "Stalingrad" - now, unfortunately, we cannot show, because there is a direct prohibition on the part of the company to use the format, Vasyanin said in an interview with RBC.

In his opinion, IMAX will return to the country as soon as possible, but for now, domestic cinemas will revise the terms of the contracts in order to exclude the possibility of a unilateral withdrawal. If the company does not return to Russia, it will face lawsuits.

- We will show movies in a different format on this equipment. We have a very strict contract with them, according to which they are obliged to work here. If by the end of this year they don’t remember about this contract, there will be a trial, - explained the general director of Cinema Park.

On June 1, IMAX left the Russian Federation. All employees of the network were fired. In total, the network has about 50 cinemas in Russia. The Russian market accounted for about 3% of revenue.

Recall that in the summer in many regions of the country, in the face of a deteriorating economic situation, cinemas began to reduce opening hours, switch to functioning only on weekends or close altogether. The main reason for the drop in turnover was the lack of Hollywood films.

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