IMAX Corporation, which has denied rumours that it is being courted by Sony in a possible takeover, reported today [Jan 3] that its gross global box office for 2010 more than doubled its previous record of $270m set in 2009.

The company said 39% of the $546m global haul came from overseas compared to approximately 26% in 2009, representing a 50% year-on-year climb.

Global DMR gross box office for the fourth quarter 2010 reached $102m compared to $101m in the fourth quarter of the previous year.

Gross box office generated from the company’s original documentaries including Hubble 3D, Under The Sea 3D and Deep Sea 3D amounted to $41m.

“Our 2010 box office results reflect our model of showcasing the biggest blockbuster titles, whether they are 2D or 3D, our network expansion and the significant increase in box office generated from our existing theatres,” IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond said.

“In fact, our box office per-theatre average grew by 50 percent year-over-year. Looking ahead to 2011, we have more visibility into our future film slate than we have ever had, we will grow the size of our global network and we believe that this year’s strong box office performance will further fuel the theatre signing momentum we enjoyed in 2010 into 2011.”

“In 2010 we released more films to the IMAX network from the most diverse group of studio partners than ever before and our box office results reflect well on our strategic initiatives,” chairman and president Greg Foster said. “In 2011, we anticipate another record number of DMR titles will be released to a record number of IMAX screens, and we are working closely with new and long-time studio, exhibitor and film-maker partners to bring mind-blowing and differentiated IMAX experiences to moviegoers around the globe.”

In a press release the company said nine of the top ten releases in North America were supported by the IMAX network and an unprecedented 16 DMR titles opened in theatres compared to 13 in 2009. Twenty-four of the last 25 IMAX DMR titles have opened top in North America.

IMAX’s 2011 film slate at time of writing includes the following 3D releases: Tron: Legacy, The Green Hornet, Sanctum, I Am Number Four, Mars Needs Moms, SuckerPunch, Born To Be Wild (an original production with Warner Bros), Fast Five, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Cars 2, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Real Steel and Happy Feet 2.

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