Year after year, the IMAX format has proven to be a true crowd-pleaser. Prior to now, only Hollywood movies were shown in IMAX theaters. However, Indian films have also begun to be released in the premium format during the past ten years, to much acclaim. A total of 44 films in all languages were released in IMAX theaters in India in 2023, making it a momentous year for the company. These movies brought in a staggering 21.30 million USD (roughly Rs. 176.51 crores) at the box office across all 27 screens.
Bollywood Hungama, in this special box office report, will list the top 10 films in IMAX in 2023 in India. The beloved movie Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, is currently at number one on the list. There was a crazy frenzy and demand to see this movie in IMAX theaters. Because of this, the movie had a great opening weekend and did well at the box office until the end. It grossed a whopping 6.135 million USD (about Rs. 50.84 crores) in IMAX theaters. Roughly 25–30% of the movie’s revenue was generated by its 26 IMAX screens.
Avatar: The Way of Water was the next film. It was a hit movie from the moment it was released in India on December 16, 2022. Even in 2023, the movie performed well, earning 1.821 million USD (roughly Rs. 15.09 crores) at the box office.
The best-performing Indian film at IMAX last year was Jawan, starring Shah Rukh Khan. It made a gross revenue of 1.665 million USD (about Rs. 13.80 crores). In fourth place, with a gross earnings of 1.549 million USD (roughly Rs. 12.83 crores), was SRK’s Pathaan.
Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One had a short run in IMAX theaters, but it still made 1.236 million USD (roughly Rs. 10.24 crores). Then came Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor. Even without any “IMAX release” promotion, it brought in a million dollars (roughly Rs. 8.28 crores).
Hollywood releases accounted for four of the top spots. The most well-received Marvel movie of 2023 was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It brought in a total of 9.41 million USD (roughly Rs. 7.80 crores) at IMAX. The animated flick Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, collecting 8.08 million USD gross (approx. Rs. 6.69 crores), was in the eighth position.
Rank nine was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which brought in 7.87 million USD (roughly Rs. 6.53 crores) at the box office. Fast X also claimed the tenth position. With net receipts of Rs. 108.83 crores, the Vin Diesel film emerged as the third highest grossing Hollywood production of 2023. But in IMAX theaters, it only brought in a gross of 6.95 million USD (about Rs. 5.76 crores).
Bollywood Hungama was informed by Preetham Daniel, Vice President of Sales at IMAX Corporation for India and South East Asia, that IMAX had its best box office year ever in India in 2023, breaking the record with a box office receipt of INR 1.89 billion. Indian content kept up its amazing performance, breaking previous box office records set in 2022 with films like Jawan and Pathaan. In 2024, IMAX plans to present even more breathtaking Hollywood blockbusters along with regional releases in India. This month, the much awaited Tamil film Captain Miller will also be released, along with the highly anticipated Hindi film Fighter.
The following are the top IMAX movies in India along with their total box office receipts:
- Oppenheimer, with USD 6,135,076
- C$1,821,234 for Avatar: The Way of Water
- $1,665,759 USD in Jawan
- Pathaan: USD 1,549,004
- $1,236,424 USD for Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One
- Animal: $1,018,198
- The third volume of Guardians of the Galaxy costs $941,445 USD.
- Across the Spider-Verse: Spider-Man – 808,039 USD
- 787,965 USD for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
- Fast X costs 695,092 USD.
