Shanghai Film Corp to build 19 IMAX cinemas across China

The Shanghai Film Corp (SFC) is set to break into the world's top five IMAX partners after commissioning 19 more cinemas able to host the super large-screen format.

The deal means that SFC will up its total count of IMAX sites from three to 22, with "a significant number" set to complete by the end of 2015, according to the IMAX corp.

The Canadian firm had previously seen 'Transformers: Age of Extinction' make its world premiere using IMAX format at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

Making use of Chinese actors and locations as well as Hollywood stars and North American landscapes, by 20th July, Michael Bay's blockbuster had passed a Chinese box office of US$306 million.

The state-run China Film Group Corporation is also deveoping its home-grown DMAX format. Although a DMAX screen's minimum size is slightly smaller than its older rival, DMAX can boast of lower installation costs and therefore lower ticket prices for cinemagoers.

This latest move demonstrates how important China remains to IMAX, whose Chinese branch is minority owned by two domestic investment partners, while the territory has become IMAX's fastest-growing market and its second-largest overall.

18th March 2014 - CHINA ON THE EDGE OF LEISURE BUILDING EXPLOSION 

7th January 2014 - CHINA’S WANDA GROUP COMMITS TO BUILD UP TO 120 NEW IMAX SCREENS BY 2021