movies

Imax Near Replacing Narnia Exclusive Thanksgiving 2026 Release Slot

Published

3 months ago

May 19, 2026

Greta Gerwig’s Narnia, moving from a Thanksgiving 2026 release to open in theaters on Feb. 12, 2027, before heading to Netflix, has left Imax having to fill a now-open exclusive Thanksgiving berth later this year.

And Imax CEO Rich Gelfond was chomping at the bit on Tuesday to announce his exclusive replacement release for Thanksgiving 2026, but decided against making that the headline. “Obviously it’s a good time of the year to release a movie, and I was hoping on this call to be able to announce what’s going into that slot, and we’re really close,” Gelfond told the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference in Boston during a session that was webcast.

“We’re on the verge of replacing it,” Gelfond added as he appeared via a video link, as he continues to recover from a temporary medical leave to undergo treatment for pneumonia and cannot do air travel. The original pact Imax had with Netflix for Narnia was to have seen the C.S. Lewis book series adaptation get a global release in Imax theaters during the key Thanksgiving holiday period, two weeks before the online debut.

Gelfond added that, despite the release date shift for Narnia, the exclusive Thanksgiving release for the film technologies company will continue this year and into future years. “Longer term, I think the model that we put together will continue to exist. You know, it may be a different partner, it may be different specific terms. But I’m quite confident that we’re having an Imax exclusive release along the lines of what we talked about,” Gelfond added.

He also discussed Walt Disney unveiling Infinity Vision, a new certification for premium large format (PLF) theaters, starting with the September re-release of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame, followed by the December release of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, while Imax locked up Dune 3 for an exclusive three-week run in a major holiday showdown.

Gelfond said Imax had a deal with Warner Bros. and Legendary to release Dune 3, which ruled out play for Avengers: Doomsday on his giant screens. “We wish we could have played Avengers, and Disney understands that, and I think Disney’s going to be great with it,” he argued.

Gelfond added that, absent Imax screens for Avengers: Doomsday, Disney branding PLF screens as Infinity Vision was little more than a marketing play. “They created kind of a marketing vehicle called Infinity Vision, which enables them to ‘brand’ their release. It’s important to note there’s no additional screens. It’s just kind of a branding move on their part,” he insisted.

Gelfond also expressed frustration with an Imax stock price that has fallen of late as investors worry about Hollywood tentpoles that underperform, while others break out at the multiplex. “I think people are needlessly worried, but we’re not,” Gelfond added as he expressed confidence in the movie slate coming out of the major studio supplier for the rest of 2026.

movies

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Becomes Biggest Hollywood Film In India

Published

10 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

qasimgillani

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now the highest-grossing Hollywood film of all time in India after taking $10.6M over the weekend for a cumulative $52.8M take.

The film, starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, overtook the record previously held by James Cameron’s 2022 Avatar: The Way Of Water after only 11 days of release. Opening in India on July 30, the day before its global release, the film has not faced much competition, although two big local films – Batwara 1947, starring Sunny Deol, and Nitin Kakkar’s Awarapan 2, starring Emraan Hashmi – are set to open this coming weekend.

It’s been a strong summer for Hollywood films in India, with both Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which opened on July 17, and Obsession, an early summer release on May 29, reportedly grossing more than the INR1B ($10M) benchmark.

Hollywood and other foreign films usually only have a 10-15% share of the Indian market, where local fare dominates. In 2025, international films clocked up a 10% market share with Avatar: Fire And Ash the top-grossing Hollywood film on $26.4M, according to Ormax Media figures. In comparison, the highest-grossing local film last year, Hindi-language action epic Dhurandhar, took $104.8m

In the first half of 2026, international films had an 8% share, with Obsession grossing around $10M (INR1B) and Project Hail Mary on $9.2M (INR880M). Dhurandhar: The Revenge topped the first half chart with $132m.

Overall, India is having an encouraging year at the box office. Ormax Media has reported that revenues for the six months January to June 2026 reached $661.66M (INR63.98B), making it the highest-grossing first half of any year since the pandemic, and surpassing the first half of 2025 by around 10%.

Upcoming films include Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic, starring Yash, scheduled for August 26; and Ramayana: Part 1, which is expected for Diwali in November and was recently picked up by Sony for worldwide distribution.

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Indian Star Sayani Gupta Sets U.S. Feature Debut With ‘Arya’

Published

26 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

qasimgillani

EXCLUSIVE: Sayani Gupta will make her U.S. feature film debut in Arya. The Indian star’s credits include Delhi Crime and Axone, and cameras are rolling on her new movie, with principal photography taking place in Duluth, Minnesota.

Directed by Neil Tuli, Arya follows Arya Sinha (Gupta). She is a disciplined piano teacher from a prestigious Indian conservatory, who reluctantly takes an assignment in northern Minnesota, hoping to rescue a struggling band program, as well as fuel her career ambitions back home.

Per the synopsis, as she clashes with her chaotic new environment, Arya is forced to let go of control, confront her hidden insecurities, and embrace a new vision of success.

Gupta’s breakout role was in Shonali Bose’s Margarita with a Straw, portraying a blind Pakistani-Bangladeshi queer student activist. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. She also starred in Parched and The Hungry, which also premiered at TIFF.

The actor was nominated for an International Indian Film Academy award for her role in Hindi-language socio-political drama Article 15, which is currently streaming on Netflix.

Arya is Tuli’s feature directorial debut. He has held strategy roles at both Netflix and Illumination.

The film is also produced under his banner American Haathi, alongside Pallavi & Keertana Sastry (Land of Gold) from Adda G Productions. Gupta is repped by Matt Kniaz at Crimson Media and Suchir Batra with Zero Gravity Management.

Gupta, who also wrote, directed and produced the short film Aasmani, is an exec producer on the indie feature film.

movies

Mad World Boards Sales On Venice-Bound Egyptian Drama ‘Al Baraneya’

Published

34 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: Mad World, the film sales arm of Cairo-based Mad Solutions, has acquired worldwide sales rights to Egyptian drama Al Baraneya ahead of its premiere in Venice parallel section Giornate degli Autori.

The debut feature of Dutch-Egyptian filmmaker Ashgan El-Hamus, the film follows the fate of Al Amal, a pregnant young woman living with her extended family in the Egyptian village of Al Baraneya.

When the family is offered the chance to sell their land, long-held certainties begin to unravel, leaving Amal torn between the traditions that shaped her and the promise of a different future in the city.

Produced by Frank Hoeve of Amsterdam-based Baldr Film; Kesmat Elsayed of Berlin-based Seera Films, and Eurydice Gysel of Brussels-based Czar Film, Al Baraneya is a Dutch-Egyptian-Belgian-Saudi co-production.

The acquisition marks Mad World’s second collaboration with Seera’s Elsayed after their collaboration on Mohamed Rashad’s Berlinale 2025-selected The Settlement.

Amsterdam-based Baldr Film has built an international reputation for championing auteur-driven cinema, with recent credits including the Oscar-nominated documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d’État; Cannes Grand Prix winner All We Imagine as Light; Willem van Ewijk’s Venice Giornate degli Autori Best European Film winner Alpha, and Torino Film Festival winner The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Al Baraneya is El-Hamus’ feature directorial debut following a series of acclaimed short films, including Birdland. Drawing from her own family’s experiences, she cast her Egyptian relatives alongside actress Reem Amer to create an authentic portrait of family, womanhood, and belonging.

“I wanted to tell a story about belonging, womanhood, and the quiet tension between tradition and change through characters whose relationships feel lived rather than performed,” she says of the film.

“We’re delighted to bring Al Baraneya to international audiences,” said Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, co-founders of Mad Solutions.

“Ashgan El-Hamus has crafted a deeply personal and emotionally resonant debut that reflects the richness of Arab storytelling through a universal lens. We are proud to partner with the filmmakers as the film begins its international journey with its world premiere in Venice.”