IMAX Offering A Great Growth Investment

I am long on IMAX, which is the company licensing the IMAX technology (3D large screen tech in Cinemas). This company is set to benefit from the 3D frenzy that is shaping the future of entertainment. It has been expanding its joint ventures in North America and globally, operating and expanding in 50 countries or more. The earnings are set to explode multiple times over the upcoming quarters. With Avatar being the top grossing movie of all time, during the recession, it really shows that IMAX earnings are potentially defensive during recession, and aggressive in expansion times.

This company continues to show signs of growth that appeals to long-term investor like myself. This morning they posted a press release stating that they have increased their gross box office by 37% from same period last year. The key drivers for growth for this company:
- New JV's and deals to open new theaters/licenses in the world; this year they have signed deals for 89 theaters as of today (they had only 35 deals in all 2009)
- Growth in the demand for IMAX experience from movie go-ers; the average per-screen revenue has gone up by 13% (excluding Avatar results)

I think this is the ingredients for a healthy growth stock that could multiply in value of the next five years...

Here is the most recent press release by IMAX:

IMAX Corporation Generates $115 Million in DMR Gross Box Office for the Second Quarter of 2010, a 37% Increase Over Last Year; Has Announced Deals for 89 IMAX(R) Theatres Year-To-Date

TORONTO and LOS ANGELES, Jul 7, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) --IMAX Corporation (Nasdaq:IMAX) (TSX:IMX) today announced that for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010, IMAX DMR(R) gross box office worldwide was approximately $115.0 million, an approximate 37% increase over last year's second quarter box office of approximately $84.2 million. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, gross box office from Hollywood DMR titles released to the worldwide IMAX(R) theatre network was $347.2 million, compared to $112.2 million in the first six months of 2009. In addition, the Company commented that it has announced deals for 89 IMAX systems year-to-date, compared to 35 for all of 2009.

"The drivers of our business model and long term growth continue to be network expansion and compelling programming," said Richard L. Gelfond, CEO of IMAX Corporation. "This year to date, we have already signed deals for 89 theatres, and we also continue to drive our per screen productivity. Even excluding Avatar completely from our 2010 results, our per-screen average through the first six months is $647,000, a 13% increase over the same period in the prior year."

Mr. Gelfond continued, "The level of signings experienced year-to-date is positioning us for significant network growth in 2010, 2011 and beyond. Every incremental new theatre signed will drive revenues from the sales of the systems and recurring revenues from theatre maintenance, joint revenue sharing theatres and future box office royalties."

IMAX will announce its full second quarter and six months financial results on Thursday, July 29, 2010.